Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan didn’t show any signs of irritation however; in fact, the two appeared incredibly at ease when Zhang Ruo Xi stroked their heads. Big Brother Huang even squinted his eyes slightly while Big Sister Lan made soft sounds like a cat purring.
Then, there was a sudden change. Incredibly pure and rich Yin and Yang Power emerged from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s bodies, pouring freely into Zhang Ruo Xi and flowing into her Small Universe.
This was the most primitive and pure Yin and Yang Power in the Universe.
Theoretically, Yellow and Blue Crystals were condensed from their powers as they originated from the same source; however, in reality, no matter if it was the Yellow Crystals or the Blue Crystals, both were just remnants of the clash between Yin and Yang. In terms of quality, they were simply incomparable to the true Power of the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer.
If they were solely distinguished according to the Open Heaven Order, then this kind of power definitely surpassed the Ninth Order.
In addition to that, Big Sister Lan and Big Brother Huang Yin’s and Yang Powers were extremely abundant. Though only a small part was poured into Zhang Ruo Xi, her aura instantly soared, causing her Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation to reach its limit and even show signs of breaking through.
Ruo Xi had already reached the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, or else she wouldn’t be able to realise the anomaly of the lock of shackles on her Small Universe. If she continued to cultivate normally, she would have had a chance to ascend to the Eighth Order within 300 years. Taking her potent Bloodline into account, the time she needed might even have been shorter.
However, this unexpected incident hastened her cultivation breakthrough enormously.
She wasn’t totally unprepared for this eventuality. Since realising that her Small Universe might not be restricted by the innate shackles of the Open Heaven method, she had already made preparations for her ascension to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Even so, this incident was still exceedingly risky because the sudden surge of power had instantly disrupted the balance of her Small Universe.
Strictly speaking, a Small Universe was no different from a real Universe World. The balance between Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements was essential to maintaining the foundation of any Universe. Once this balance was disrupted, there would be a risk of the Universe rupturing.
The most common method for Human Masters to enhance their cultivation was to consume Open Heaven Pills which contained the Power of the Seven Elements in perfect balance. There was no risk in consuming such pills as they could not lead to an imbalance in one’s Small Universe.
A faster method was to refine cultivation materials directly. Compared to consuming Open Heaven Pills, the benefits of refining a set of cultivation materials were far greater. Of course, this method was much more expensive as acquiring materials of high enough Order was by no means easy.
Additionally, in order to maintain the balance of their Small Universe, a cultivator had to refine a complete set of cultivation materials, with each of the Seven Elements of the same Order.
Because only in this way could they maintain balance in their Small Universe. During Yang Kai’s years of cultivating, this was his most common method of cultivation.
If the Master realised that their Small Universe was out of balance for some reason, they could make up for it by refining materials of the appropriate Element.
Due to their strict requirements for materials, it directly led to the rarity of the Yin and Yang Element materials. Yin and Yang Element materials were far less common than the Five Elements materials. While there were sufficient materials of the lower Orders, as the Order increased, less and less Yin and Yang Element materials were available.
Before Yang Kai obtained a large amount of Yellow and Blue Crystals from the Chaotic Dead Territory, even the Cave Heavens and Paradises lacked such materials above the Fifth Order.
It wasn’t until the appearance of Yellow and Blue Crystals that this issue was solved.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan did not intend to pour their strength into Zhang Ruo Xi’s body. Rather, it was drawn out by her mysterious Bloodline Power, causing Zhang Ruo Xi to unintentionally devour their power. This surprised both of them greatly.
Zhang Ruo Xi did not anticipate such a thing to occur either, nor did she intend to devour these two’s Powers, but everything happened so seamlessly after just a moment of contact.
Immediately, Zhang Ruo Xi’s World Force soared and her aura rampaged as the imbalance of her Small Universe shook and violently impacted her. Her gorgeous face turned pale in an instant and she frantically cried out, “Sir!”
Yang Kai was shocked as well. He was just admiring the strange act of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan a breath ago, and the next instant, Ruo Xi’s Small Universe was in peril.
Behind Ruo Xi, the illusory phantom of her Small Universe emerged all on its own, its original tranquillity with majestic mountains and pristine waters now enveloped in a storm of yellow and blue light. As these two hues clashed, a scene of violence and destruction played out.
It was similar to what the Chaotic Dead Territory looked like before Yang Kai first came here!
Right away, Yang Kai snapped back to his senses and immediately took out a set of Five Elements materials, all in the Seventh Order, and passed them to Zhang Ruo Xi, urging her, “Focus. Concentrate on holding together your Small Universe and quickly refine these!”
Since she had received a massive infusion of Yin and Yang Element Power, the only way to restore the balance of her Small Universe was to quickly refine more Five Elements Power.
Zhang Ruo Xi obviously also understood that her life was at stake, so she did not hesitate to accept the Five Elements materials, sat cross-legged, and followed Yang Kai’s instructions to stabilize her mind as she went all out to suppress the chaos of her own Small Universe while preparing to refine the materials.
However, a Human Master was always greatly impacted by any disturbance in their Small Universe.
If there was a fight between Masters of the same Order and strength, the one whose Small Universe was shaken first would quickly be defeated and perish.
Because of this, every Cave Heaven and Paradise had developed Divine Abilities or Secret Techniques designed exclusively for protecting their Small Universe. These methods were mainly used to defend their Small Universes from external shocks.
During the Great Evolution Army’s battle at the Royal City of the Great Evolution Theatre, Yang Kai used his Cow Punch Secret Technique to kill a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple. In terms of raw strength, Yang Kai wasn’t a match for a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple. In fact, a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple might only be slightly weaker than a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye.
However, Yang Kai’s Cow Punch was the most profound Secret Technique capable of directly impacting an enemy’s Small Universe. Even if there was a great disparity in strength between Yang Kai and his opponent, Cow Punch could bypass all conventional defenses to cause massive damage.
The current situation of Zhang Ruo Xi was equivalent to her Small Universe being attacked by rampaging energy. Worse yet, this power was the purest essence of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, two Supreme Beings whose strength exceeded the Ninth Order!
As someone only at the peak of the Seventh Order, how was Zhang Ruo Xi supposed to be able to endure it?
The only reason her Small Universe did not rupture on the spot was because only a small amount of Yin and Yang Element Power flowed into her before it was cut off. However, this disturbance in her Small Universe made it incredibly difficult for her to focus her mind. In such an unsteady state, let alone refining materials to balance her Small Universe, even suppressing the chaos in her Small Universe was proving all but impossible.
If Zhang Ruo Xi was unable to suppress the turbulence in her Small Universe quickly, it would only further destabilize, worsening her condition and creating a deadly feedback cycle.
In a matter of breaths, Ruo Xi’s aura became more and more chaotic, and the illusory phantom of the Small Universe behind her also began to expand and contract, showing extreme signs of instability. The yellow and blue lights also became more violent as they thrashed about wildly.
Yang Kai felt chills all over. He thought that having Zhang Ruo Xi visit Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan might bring about some unexpected gains, but he never imagined that things would go so awry!
Wracking his brain desperately, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something that might help Ruo Xi, so he quickly shouted, “Open your mind!”
The next moment, a seemingly illusory lotus flower covered in multi-coloured light flew out from Yang Kai’s head and into Zhang Ruo Xi’s.
Soul Warming Lotus!
Although this was a Supreme Treasure of the Universe that had accompanied Yang Kai for millennia, other individuals could immediately use it without any kind of refinement as long as he passed it to them. Since he previously lent it to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao to use in her battle inside the Black Ink Nest Space, it meant that he could lend it to Zhang Ruo Xi as well.
The Soul Warming Lotus was the best solution to stabilize a person’s shaken mind.
As the Seven-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus entered Zhang Ruo Xi’s forehead, her expression quickly calmed down; obviously, the Soul Warming Lotus was helping.
After her mind was calmed down, she worked hard to suppress the turbulence in her Small Universe before starting to refine the Seventh-Order materials.
Only when the situation was stabilised temporarily did Yang Kai heave a sigh of relief. It had only been a short moment, yet he was already drenched in sweat.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan stood to the side, completely dumbfounded by what they just experienced. Only after a long silence did Big Brother Huang murmur, “How… How did this happen?”
Although the two of them have lived for countless years and were far more powerful than any other Divine Spirit, due to their lack of interaction with others, they were quite innocent and naive.
All they knew was the woman in front of them, who they felt quite close to, almost died because of their power.
Big Sister Lan gave it a little bit more thought than Big Brother Huang before turning to Yang Kai to ask, “Who is she?”
Even when she first met Yang Kai, a member of the Dragon Clan, she had never experienced the same level of closeness as she did with this mysterious woman.
She was even more puzzled by the fact that this young woman had freely drawn in her and Xiao Huang’s Power.
That was their pure Yin and Yang Power, their innate strength; it wasn’t something just anyone could devour. However, recalling when her power was being devoured, Big Sister Lan felt no sense of rejection of disharmony at all.
“I’ll let you both know later. Can Big Brother and Sister restrain and take back your power?” Yang Kai asked seriously.
Allowing Ruo Xi to refine Five Elements materials to balance her Small Universe was the best solution to the current problem, Yang Kai quickly discovered a problem at this moment.
It was taking too long!
Refining materials was not something that could be done overnight. One would require a lot of time to refine a set of Seventh-Order materials, let alone Zhang Ruo Xi who was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Furthermore, even if this set of Five Elements materials were truly refined, it still wouldn’t be sufficient. In order to balance the Yin and Yang Element Power that she took in, many sets of Five Elements materials would be required.
Yang Kai estimated it would take Zhang Ruo Xi at least 10 years to reach a state of balance. 10 years was quite a long time, and in this kind of unstable situation, many, many things could go wrong, any one of which could put her in grave danger. The power from these two was akin to a pair of giant blades hanging above her head, at risk of falling at any moment.
However, if Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could take back their Powers, then all these issues could be resolved.
Big Brother Huang, though somewhat uneasy, still had his sight intact. After just a glance at the situation inside Zhang Ruo Xi’s Small Universe, he shook his head and said, “No, our powers have already completely merged into her Small Universe. If we were to extract them, it would be akin to tearing out her heritage, causing her great harm!”
[But, having too much pure power is not a good thing either…] Yang Kai thought in his heart.
The powers of Yin and Yang from the Moon’s Serene Glimmer and the Sun’s Burning Light were the most primitive and purest in the Universe. Because of their purity, they did not need much refining, so the moment they flowed into Zhang Ruo Xi’s Small Universe, they immediately merged with it, breaking the balance and leaving Big Brother Huang helpless.
While they were conversing, Yang Kai watched intently. The imbalance in Ruo Xi’s Small Universe had reached a critical point, and the Powers of the Yin and Yang were still continually surging in all directions. At this moment she could still barely suppress it, but as time passed, Ruo Xi would not be able to keep it under control. Even with the Soul Warming Lotus protecting her mind, it would be of no use.
The root of her crisis lay in her Small Universe, and her mind was only affected as a result.
The best way to suppress and seal a Small Universe was with a World Tree clone. With it, Ruo Xi’s current crisis could be instantly resolved.
Yang Kai had a clone on him, but it was integrated into his own Small Universe. Even if he was willing to give it to her, it would be impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to refine it in time as the process would involve purging the pieces of Yang Kai’s Small Universe before planting it into her own. This was not a simple or quick process and would also require a lot of concentration which she could not spare at the moment.
[Is there really nothing we can do? If we don’t find a way to completely suppress the Powers of Yin and Yang inside of her, Ruo Xi’s life will be in danger.]
In his anxious state, Yang Kai suddenly had an idea and immediately advised her, “Activate your Bloodline Power and see if you can suppress it!”
If there was any other power in the world that could suppress the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer’s Powers, it would only be the Bloodline Power of Heaven’s Order!
As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Ruo Xi’s cultivation allowed her to control thousands of Small Stone Race Soldiers to form a Fourth-Order Nine Palaces Formation. She did this by relying only on her own Bloodline Power. Furthermore, these Small Stone Race Soldiers could almost be considered as extensions of the powers from Burning Light and Serene Glimmer!
In Yang Kai’s theory, Heaven’s Order was akin to the Matriarch of the Divine Spirit Family. The strange incident between Ruo Xi and Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan during their first encounter suggested that this was true; Ruo Xi taking in their two Powers was likely due to her Bloodline unconsciously guiding her.
Given this, the Heavens Order Bloodline should be able to handle the current situation. Even if it couldn’t completely suppress the two Powers, it could at least calm things down.
Just as the words left Yang Kai’s mouth, Ruo Xi immediately activated her Bloodline Power. In the illusory phantom of her Small Universe, a blurry female figure appeared.
When this figure emerged, the Powers of Yin and Yang, which had been rampaging and causing damage to her Small Universe, seemed to be drawn inexplicably towards the figure from all directions.
As Yang Kai watched, the yellow and blue lights that had filled the entire Small Universe receded like a tide, flowing into the illusory woman’s body.
This woman, who symbolised Heaven’s Order’s Bloodline, was just as Yang Kai remembered her from their last encounter. She hung her head low, her hair flowing freely as she held a giant greatsword in her hands. Although she was a woman, she exuded an awe-inspiring aura, as though she could stand firm even if the Heavens and Earth were to collapse around her.
When the most primitive Powers of Yin and Yang surged into her, her body immediately emitted a light where the two colours intersected. The colours grew brighter and brighter until they reached a dazzling peak that resonated deeply with Yang Kai.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the scene before him absent-mindedly. He had travelled far and wide, and witnessed the beauty and wonder of countless people and Worlds, but the sight before him was beyond words.
The woman who manifested the Heaven’s Order Bloodline behind her opened a pair of brightly shining wings. One side was blue and the other yellow, with the colours flowing freely like water, sometimes turning yellow into blue, and other times the opposite. The edge of the wings was blurred with light, and at this moment, the Powers of Yin and Yang blended and fused, no longer violent, but exuding a vital aura of unparalleled harmony and beauty!
Yang Kai was struck by many insights and epiphanies at this moment and would benefit greatly if he were to enter retreat to cultivate at this moment.
But, he knew this was not the time for that; he had to suppress those feelings and continue to focus on Ruo Xi’s condition.
Beside him, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were completely stunned and could hardly believe their eyes. The problem of their Powers being unable to blend and constantly colliding with each other was suddenly resolved at this moment! The shock they felt was no less than being punched hard in the face, and they were left in a state of stunned amazement.
“Who is she?” Big Sister Lan couldn’t help but turn her head and ask Yang Kai. Her curiosity was piqued by this existence who had the power to reconcile the Powers of Xiao Huang and herself, so she knew she was certainly not any ordinary being.
For countless years, they remained in the Chaotic Dead Territory, unable to leave. This was not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t. According to ancient legend, they were the Progenitors of all Divine Spirits, a myth that had been distorted and exaggerated over time.
However, there was another legend that held true – they were the embodiments of destruction.
Since their birth, they were incomplete and unable to control their powers with precision. Leaving the Chaotic Dead Territory would result in a catastrophic explosion of Yin and Yang, laying waste to all things, living or dead.
Back in the early days, the Chaotic Dead Territory was not as vast as it was now. Many Great Territories were destroyed over the years, the boundary walls between them torn down, leading to the creation of the current, extremely large Chaotic Dead Territory.
These two ancient beings scattered their power throughout the territory, retaining only a fraction of it to transform into their present forms – two small children – and allowing Yang Kai to stand before them and communicate with them.
If they were in their true, complete forms, Yang Kai would not have the privilege of standing here as he would have been vaporized by the violent Yin and Yang powers they innately gave off long ago.
But suddenly, they witnessed their Powers being balanced and stabilised by some outside force!
This was simply an occurrence that they had never dared imagine.
Yang Kai stood mesmerised, staring at the figure before him that was adorned with wings of two different hues. However, after Zhang Ruo Xi activated her own Heavens Order Bloodline Power, the Yin and Yang Element Powers no longer rampaged. The Small Universe that was in constant flux and at risk of rupture had also stabilised.
Then, her expression slowly eased…
Now, all that was left was to refine a large quantity of the Five Elements materials to rebalance her Small Universe.
This crisis was finally over.
Yang Kai let out a long sigh as he pondered how to answer Big Sister Lan’s question. After some hesitation, he spoke up, “Do you still remember the last time we discussed the concept of a medicinal catalyst?”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.
Over the years, they had tried to merge, but Yin and Yang were inherently opposed and simply could not mix. They always felt like something was missing, so they had no choice but to give up.
However, when Yang Kai came over last time, the idea of a medicinal catalyst came up.
In alchemy, herbs of opposing nature could be combined in a furnace and refined into a Spirit Pill by using an appropriate catalyst that could reconcile the incompatible properties.
If Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were compared to two types of herbs with opposing natures, then the missing ingredient they lacked was undoubtedly the medicinal catalyst.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s Heavens Order Bloodline was the catalyst that could harmonise their opposing forces.
This was not surprising, as the Heavens Order Bloodline was descended from the Matriarch of the Divine Spirit Family. Even though Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had extremely high status in that family, they still couldn’t resist the guidance of the Matriarch.
Big Brother Huang immediately caught on and his eyes lit up, “She’s the catalyst?”
Yang Kai nodded.
Big Sister Lan, on the other hand, was extremely puzzled, “What kind of Bloodline does she possess? Why have I never heard of her before, and how is she able to do this?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai explained, “I mentioned the Primordial Light earlier. After stripping you two away, the Primordial Light crashed into a barren land, and its radiance dispersed, evolving into countless Divine Spirits. That piece of land became the Ancestral Land of the Divine Spirits. However, after the Primordial Light dissipated, there was still a blurry figure left behind… This Little Brother was unable to tell what that figure was at the time, and could not judge what it represented, but that blurry figure resembled a Human. Somehow, that figure must have merged with the Human Race; thus, the Human Race inherited its bloodline from generation to generation.”
“This Bloodline has experienced countless years of inheritance, gradually becoming thin and weak. The later generations have long forgotten the glory of their Ancestor, until Ruo Xi’s generation when this Bloodline began to gradually awaken! This Bloodline is called the Heaven’s Order Bloodline, and in the Primordial Light, it undoubtedly holds a special position.”
The Divine Spirits were the scattered light that evolved from the collision of the Primordial Light with the Ancestral Land, even the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer were just the powers stripped from the Primordial Light at an earlier time.
In comparison, the appearance of that figure after the collision with the Ancestral Land was no small matter.
The Primordial Darkness of the Universe gave birth to Mo, and the Primordial Light evolved into the Divine Spirits, including the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, and even Heaven’s Order. If the Primordial Light were to be divided into ten parts, the Divine Spirits would account for three parts, the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer three parts, and Heaven’s Order four parts!
In terms of status, that figure was second only to the true body of Mo according to this hypothesis.
When Yang Kai brought Zhang Ruo Xi to the Chaotic Dead Territory to meet Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, he did not expect such a significant discovery. He just thought that since the Heavens Order Bloodline was like the Matriarch of the Divine Spirit Family, there might be some unexpected gains after she met these two.
And now, their harvest was indeed huge! Though there were some minor accidents, everything turned out alright in the end.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s emotions were stirred for a long time. They had never heard about the Heaven’s Order Bloodline before, which was passed down through generations, and had the remarkable ability to harmonize the opposing Yin and Yang Element Powers. It was no wonder when they laid eyes on this woman, an involuntary sense of awe and warmth washed over them, stronger than when facing Yang Kai, a member of the Dragon Clan.
It appeared that Yang Kai was right, although they were all born from the Primordial Light, the Heaven’s Order Bloodline must hold a unique position. This was what caused the two Supreme Beings of the Primordial Era to feel differently about Zhang Ruo Xi.
If that was the case, there might be a chance to resolve the issue that had plagued them for countless aeons. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan exchanged glances, understanding each other’s thoughts.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai observed Zhang Ruo Xi’s condition in silence. She had already reached the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and now she unintentionally absorbed a massive amount of Yin and Yang Element Power. This could be her chance for a breakthrough.
Though it was a perilous accident, it was also an opportunity for Zhang Ruo Xi after it was resolved.
Thanks to her Bloodline Power, her refining speed became incredibly swift, rivalling even Yang Kai’s.
Yang Kai’s speed was partly due to his solid foundation, but also due to his Small Universe having a World Tree clone, which greatly assisted Open Heaven Realm Masters like him when they cultivated.
However, each World Tree Clone had to come from the World Tree itself and each one required a portion of the World Tree’s Source. Likewise, they were supported by the fortune of numerous Universe Worlds. Thus, they were not something that could be obtained in large quantities from the Old Tree.
If every Master had access to one, it would substantially reduce their cultivation time and hasten their advancement to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
In a mere month, Ruo Xi completely refined a set of Seventh-Order Five Elements materials.
Before the Black Ink Clan’s invasion, such a set of materials would have cost at least 750 million Open Heaven Pills, if one could even buy them at all. In the present era, they would be even pricier, likely exceeding a billion.
To put it plainly, Ruo Xi’s one month of cultivation consumed a billion Open Heaven Pills…
If she had simply been swallowing and refining Open Heaven Pills, she would never have been able to eat such an immense quantity in such a short time. What’s more, even if she had refined a billion Open Heaven Pills, the gains wouldn’t have matched what she had now.
Therefore, relatively speaking, if they had the resources, Masters preferred to refine materials to enhance their Small Universe rather than use Open Heaven Pills. Unfortunately, most did not have the resources, so they could only choose to refine Open Heaven Pills to improve themselves.
Yang Kai had a large reserve of cultivation resources. Mo Na Ye compensated him a lot of materials on behalf of the Black Ink Clan last time, most of which he had handed over to the Supreme Headquarters for the Human Armies to use, but he had still reserved some for himself.
With his cultivation reaching the peak of the Eighth-Order Realm, Yang Kai no longer needed to deliberately cultivate. Technically, these resources were useless in his hands right now, so he was more than willing to use them to resolve Ruo Xi’s current crisis.
After Ruo Xi finished refining a set of Seventh-Order materials, Yang Kai took out another set and handed it to her, allowing her to continue.
With the increase in Five Elements Powers, the imbalance of Ruo Xi’s Small Universe was gradually fixed. The most obvious indication was the two-coloured wings behind the Heaven’s Order figure gradually dimming. It was a sign that the Powers of Yin and Yang had been completely absorbed and merged into Ruo Xi’s Small Universe.
As her Small Universe’s heritage increased, its boundary walls also showed signs of reaching their limit. Once this limit was broken through, it would be time for Ruo Xi to advance to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. At that time, her entire Small Universe would greatly expand, and Ruo Xi’s heritage would also increase significantly.
12 years passed by in a flash.
The Heaven’s Order figure in Ruo Xi’s Small Universe had all but faded away, and the two-coloured wings behind it had almost disappeared. By refining a large amount of Five Elements materials, her Small Universe was once again balanced.
In it, wind and clouds stirred. Ruo Xi was surrounded by an extremely strong World Force, and her own aura had already heightened to its peak, a sign of an impending breakthrough.
“Sir!” Ruo Xi suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Yang Kai for help.
“You will advance to the Eighth Order today. Just calm your mind and break through. I will stand guard for you!” Yang Kai comforted her.
“En!” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded gently, and her uneasy mood immediately calmed down, allowing her to focus on dealing with the changes in her Small Universe.
A few days later, with a final infusion of Five Elements Power, the Powers of Yin and Yang were devoured completely and the Heaven’s Order figure disappeared. Zhang Ruo Xi had increased her Small Universe’s heritage greatly and finally crossed the threshold.
From the depths of her soul, there seemed to be a cracking sound. Ruo Xi’s body trembled slightly, and her peak Seventh-Order aura suddenly soared. At the same time, the original boundaries of her Small Universe broke, and the already maximised territory quickly expanded like a blown-up balloon.
Within the Small Universe, the sky trembled and the wind and clouds swirled in constant transformation.
Large swaths of new territory begin to appear, at first chaotic, but gradually evolving and harmonising with the Powers of the Seven Elements, becoming part of her Small Universe.
Yang Kai remained vigilant, but he wasn’t worried.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough was a seamless and stable process, devoid of any signs of instability. As long as she remained focused, her breakthrough posed no real risks.
Advancement in the Open Heaven Realm carried a certain degree of danger. Without a sturdy foundation, rushing a breakthrough could lead to unforeseen complications during the expansion of one’s Small Universe. For example, some of the newly formed territory might not have fully evolved and instead retain their initially chaotic state. Such an occurrence would undoubtedly have a profound impact on a person. It could cause anything from minor damage to total collapse of their Small Universe, which would end in their demise.
Ruo Xi did not face such risks as she had a solid foundation, coupled with her unique Bloodline. As a result, the new territories swiftly evolved into thriving lands.
Yang Kai had undergone numerous breakthroughs in the past, but he had only sought to enhance his strength without paying much attention to the process itself. However, this time, as Ruo Xi’s protector and witnessing the various transformations of her Small Universe, he experienced a unique sense of enlightenment.
It was commonly believed that Mo had reached the Creation Realm that stood above the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. However, no one could adequately explain what the Creation Realm was, not even Cang nor Wu Kuang.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, it was rather that they did not know how for they had never reached that realm.
Yang Kai used to believe that the Creation Realm referred to the ability to create life from nothing.
The Black Ink Clan was a creation of Mo, who was capable of producing such terrifying existences such as the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods. The title of Creator was certainly well-deserved.
For all Black Ink Clansmen, Mo was their Creator.
Throughout the Universe, the only existence of a similar level of power as Mo was the Primordial Light.
The Primordial Light had stripped itself of its Yin and Yang Elements to create the Serene Glimmer and Burning Light. Its innumerable points of light produced countless Divine Spirits. In other words, it possessed the power of Creation.
But was that really the power of the Creation Realm?
At a fundamental level, the Black Ink Clan was merely a peculiar extension of Mo’s power, which meant Mo did not truly ‘create’ life from nothingness. Whether it was the Black Ink Clan’s soldiers or the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, without Mo’s power, they had no basis for existence.
[Are the Divine Spirits not technically an extension of the power of the Primordial Light? Is that all there is to the Creation Realm? Or am I misunderstanding something?]
According to this logic, when a cultivator reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, they would begin to condense their own Grand Dao into a Dao Seal, refine the Power of the Seven Elements, and use that as a foundation to split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies, creating their own Small Universe.
So, in a way, didn’t every Open Heaven Realm Master have Creation Force?
However, those Small Universes were truly born out of nothingness rather than the extension of the Masters’ power. It was created by the harmonious balance of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements.
Didn’t this mean that all Open Heaven Realm Masters possessed the means of using Creation Force? Where did this power come from, and what distinguished reaching the Open Heaven Realm from the Creation Realm?
Yang Kai suddenly found himself deeply lost in thought, questioning his own Grand Dao and exploring an unknown domain…
When one’s strength was meagre, it was difficult to ponder over these things, as their sole focus was to advance to a higher realm and get stronger.
But when one had reached their pinnacle and stood at a lofty height, many doubts involuntarily arose.
Yang Kai had a vague feeling that if he could understand the answers to these questions, he might discover something incredible.
However, his deep contemplation bordered on questioning his very existence. Though he remained standing in the same spot, it was as if he had entered another Universe. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan immediately noticed something was amiss and turned their heads towards him.
Big Brother Huang even called out to him a few times, finally allowing Yang Kai to be jolted back to reality where he promptly broke out into a cold sweat…
The momentary doubt that had risen in him had caused him to doubt his own Grand Dao, and it even resulted in his Small Universe shaking, triggering what felt like an earthquake in Void World.
This was highly abnormal; after all, his Small Universe had a World Tree clone to stabilize and protect it. Additionally, his Small Universe was firm and flawless, impervious to external forces. Even during his battle with a Royal Lord, his Small Universe had never trembled.
However, though his World Tree clone could resist external forces, it could not prevent internal turmoil.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a chill shoot up his spine. If he had continued to linger in that kind of state, it would have inevitably caused immense damage to himself. Though the Open Heaven Realm method of the Human Race was not flawless, it was the fundamental basis for their rise to power and had been inherited for countless millennia. Before his strength and realm had reached a certain level, it was necessary to be more cautious about such ponderings.
Yang Kai was forced to reflect on this matter in silence.
After several more days, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Small Universe finally settled, and she succeeded in her breakthrough.
Her Small Universe had grown significantly in both volume and territory, and her aura had reached the esteemed level of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It was a sight that left Yang Kai in awe, marvelling at the unique wonder of her Heaven’s Order Bloodline that allowed her to overcome the innate limitations of the Open Heaven Realm method. Without this exceptional gift, Ruo Xi’s Martial Dao would have hit a ceiling at the peak of the Seventh Order.
This realization stirred up a twinge of envy in Yang Kai, who was still struggling to ascend to the Ninth-Order Realm.
However, he needn’t worry about what came next for Ruo Xi. With her successful ascension to the Eighth Order, all she needed to do was to enter retreat for a period to consolidate her newfound strength. As she continued to cultivate, her Small Universe’s heritage would grow stronger, and its territory would expand endlessly until it reached another limit. By then, she should be able to break through once again.
Only then would she be able to enter the Ninth-Order Realm!
Yang Kai turned to the two others and said, “I too must enter retreat for a while. Please look after Ruo Xi while I’m gone.”
Big Brother Huang nodded and replied, “There’s no need for you to worry.”
After bowing to them in gratitude, Yang Kai left a vast amount of Five Elements materials for Ruo Xi to use. She no longer needed Yin and Yang Element materials, after all, with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan here, how could she possibly lack them?
After settling everything with Ruo Xi, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and left to find a broken Universe Fragment in the void far away, where he sat cross-legged and began to meditate.
Ruo Xi’s breakthrough had given him much to ponder over, and he needed to enter retreat to reflect on what he witnessed. But, with the lesson from before, he had to pay more attention and care to himself.
This retreat wasn’t just about improving his cultivation, but also a moment for him to explore his own Grand Dao and ponder over the mysteries of the Creation Realm.
Time flew by quickly in the desolate void.
After a few years, Zhang Ruo Xi awakened to find her new Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation had barely stabilized. Upon discovering that Yang Kai had also gone into retreat, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of disappointment.
But soon, she was swept up in a grand and wondrous plan by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. After witnessing Zhang Ruo Xi’s ability to harmonize their Yin and Yang Powers, the two of them secretly concocted this plan, knowing that its success would have profound significance for themselves and the Human Race.
Although they had only just met, there was no sense of estrangement among these three, as if they were all part of the same family. Even Ruo Xi was caught off guard, realising only later that these two were the legendary Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer. But, looking at their youthful appearances and demeanour, she found it hard to see them as Supreme Beings from the Primordial Era, so she decided to treat them like children.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were quite pleased with her decision.
They performed a small experiment, and it proved to be completely feasible. Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were so happy that they almost shed tears of joy.
But, although the plan was workable, it was difficult to implement at the moment because Ruo Xi’s strength was still lacking. She needed to become much stronger before they could perfectly execute their idea.
So, the two Primordial Era Supremes urged her to cultivate.
Fortunately, before Yang Kai went into retreat, he left behind a lot of Five Elements materials. Ruo Xi had some reserves of her own as well, which prevented her from being in the embarrassing situation of not having enough resources.
Ordinary Masters usually cultivated by building up the heritage of their Small Universe, and even if they chose to refine materials, they needed to consume complete sets of Seven Elements.
But in the Chaotic Dead Territory, with the assistance of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, Ruo Xi did not need to go through this trouble. She only needed to refine materials of the Five Elements.
As for the Yin and Yang Element Powers, it was easy to draw them from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. It was the utmost primal and pure power that was difficult for anyone in this world to resolve and harmonize, but that issue was completely resolved thanks to her Heaven’s Order Bloodline.
This meant that Zhang Ruo Xi had to refine two fewer materials than other Masters, saving her nearly 30% of her cultivation time.
That was a terrifying improvement in efficiency.
To advance from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order required on average 10,000 years of accumulation, so a 30% reduction could easily save some 3,000 years of arduous effort.
In the Chaotic Dead Territory, while Yang Kai was in retreat to reflect on his various epiphanies, Ruo Xi also entered retreat to cultivate. Meanwhile, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan took turns infusing her Small Universe with their Power. They were careful not to overdo it so that Zhang Ruo Xi would not be overwhelmed again.
In their spare time, they also trained a large army of Small Stone Race Soldiers for Yang Kai.
Previously, they had only trained them to pass the time. From the Primordial Era to the present, this was the only game that relieved their boredom. But now that they had Zhang Ruo Xi, they had something to look forward to, a hope for the future.
Time passed by quickly, and soon an entire century had gone by.
In the void, Yang Kai opened his eyes with a look of confusion. The more he pondered, the more he found himself unable to grasp the essence of the Grand Dao. He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the days when he was not as powerful, when all he had to do was focus on increasing his strength. But now, he had to embark on a quest to uncover the true nature of the Grand Dao and Heavenly Way, and on this slow and arduous path of the Martial Dao, the higher he stood and the more he saw, the more lost he felt.
Letting out a light sigh, Yang Kai ceased his ruminations. He knew that his confusion stemmed from not standing high enough. Perhaps after ascending to the Ninth Order, things would change for him.
After spending 100 years in retreat, he had some gains. He had contemplated much about his own Grand Daos and the Creation Realm, but for now, those insights were of no use.
“Yang Kai, come over here!” Big Brother Huang’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Clearly, he had sensed that Yang Kai had ended his retreat.
Feeling his urgency, Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat, fearing that something might have happened to Zhang Ruo Xi. So, he urged Space Principles and stepped forward, arriving at Big Brother Huang’s side as he asked, “What happened?”
Before his eyes, Ruo Xi sat cross-legged, refining materials to enhance her Small Universe heritage. Her aura was calm and there was no trace of abnormality. Compared to 100 years ago, her aura was noticeably denser, a sign of her growing strength.
Big Brother Huang asked, “Do you have any more Five Elements materials? Bring them all out.”
Glancing at the illusory Heaven’s Order phantom behind Ruo Xi’s Small Universe, Yang Kai realized what was happening, “Are you two helping Ruo Xi cultivate?”
He had a considerable amount of Five Elements materials in his possession, originally prepared for his own future Ninth-Order advancement, but now that Ruo Xi needed them, he would not be stingy.
He secretly felt that bringing Ruo Xi to the Chaotic Dead Territory was the right decision; at least with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s help, her growth would surely accelerate.
If only he had another World Tree clone for her, that would be even better.
Unfortunately, the Old Tree was not in good shape at the moment. Last time he had asked for three World Tree Clone seedlings, which was already the limit. If he were to ask again, it would be asking for too much.
Given all the Five Elements materials he had, it would be enough for Ruo Xi to cultivate for thousands of years, so Yang Kai handed them all to Big Brother Huang, saying, “I’ll figure out a way to get some more and send them over later.”
Big Brother Huang nodded in acceptance.
Yang Kai glanced at Ruo Xi once more and said, “I’ll leave Ruo Xi to Big Brother and Big Sister. I still need to look after the Human Race and cannot stay here for long. Farewell.”
Big Sister Lan reassured him, “Rest assured, she will be safe here.”
At present, the greatest danger was the Black Ink Clan; however, since suffering a catastrophic defeat in the Chaotic Dead Territory, they dared not set foot in here again. Under normal circumstances, they would not even approach the Chaotic Dead Territory for fear of provoking the two Supreme Beings inside.
Yang Kai responded with a nod. When he was ready to leave, Ruo Xi suddenly opened her eyes and shouted, “Sir, wait!”
Yang Kai paused to look at her as Ruo Xi said, “I still have to return this item to you, Sir.”
Saying so, she activated her power, and a seven-coloured lotus flower flew out from her forehead. It was the Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai had lent her before.
“Sir, you are constantly travelling outside, facing many dangers. You must be careful,” she reminded him.
In response, Yang Kai nodded, took the Soul Warming Lotus, and smiled, “You should continue to cultivate here. When you reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day, we shall fight the enemy together!”
Ruo Xi obediently nodded.
After a moment of watching Yang Kai leave, Ruo Xi sat down cross-legged again and continued to refine Five Elements materials to enhance herself.
In the world of Masters, there were always many farewells. Perhaps a seemingly ordinary separation would be a permanent one, especially in the current environment. To avoid such a situation, one could only become stronger, because only through sufficient strength could one protect those they cared for!
After leaving the Chaotic Dead Territory, Yang Kai did not linger and returned directly to the Supreme Headquarters.
As soon as he exchanged a few words with Mi Jing Lun, who was overseeing the situation, Yang Kai learned that the various battlefields had remained much the same over the years, allowing him to relax slightly.
In fact, whether it was the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan, they were both in the process of accumulating strength. On the Humans’ side, due to the output of talents from the Star Boundary, Myriad Monsters World, and even Yang Kai’s Small Universe, High-Rank Open Heavens Realm Masters were emerging one after another.
This was especially so for rising stars who directly ascended to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm during these past years. Many of them had already entered the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and had been in this realm for a few years!
As for the battles on the various battlefields, that had not slowed down their cultivation speed. On the contrary, the repeated life and death stimulation tempered their willpower and endurance, allowing them to constantly make breakthroughs and improve.
It was estimated that it would not take long before the first of the rising stars of the Human Race saw the hope of advancing to the Ninth Order.
The Black Ink Clan was the same. There were many new Territory Lords, more than the Eighth-Order Masters. This was also inevitable; after all, Black Ink Clansmen could be created from Black Ink Nests, leading their numbers to surpass those of the Human Race. Among the billions of Black Ink Clansmen, there would always be some lucky ones whose strength improved rapidly.
A tacit understanding between the two Races had been achieved!
Now, it only remained to be seen which side could outpace the other, allowing them to seize the initiative.
According to the statistics of the Supreme Headquarters, the Human Race did not have much of an advantage. Overall, it was easier for the Black Ink Clan to cultivate than the Humans. In the future, the Black Ink Clan might be able to create Royal Lords earlier than the Human Race!
The only advantage of the Human Race lay in their greater individual strength, their intelligence, and their will to resist!
In the grand hall of the Supreme Headquarters, Mi Jing Lun let out a deep sigh as he spoke, “Our most pressing concern, Junior Brother, is the scarcity of resources. Despite the accumulation of the Cave Heavens and Paradises over the years, our people are trapped in just a handful of Great Territories now. Our access to essential resources has been severely limited, especially now with the explosive increase of Open Heaven Realm Masters. Their cultivation demands an abundance of resources that our stockpiles simply cannot sustain. Even with all the things you brought back last time, it barely made a dent in the shortfall needed to construct the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress.”
“The problem of resource scarcity can only be solved by either increasing our resources or reducing our consumption. But we are cultivators. Our cultivation and healing require resources, so how can we reduce our consumption? If we were to do so, how could we expect our soldiers to fight fiercely on the battlefield? We must devise alternative strategies. Over the years, the military merits required by the army’s supply department to exchange for resources have been increasing every year. Take the simplest Fourth-Order materials, for example; the military merits required to exchange for one have increased by 20% compared to a millennium ago! To make matters worse, some ignorant fools, the managers and commanders, are unaware of the high cost of goods and come to me, their Senior Brother, at the Supreme Headquarters to clamour for a reduction in price for them!?”
Ou Yang Lie was the one he was referring to, and Yang Kai knew about this matter as well. Ou Yang Lie even sent someone to relay a message to him, saying that the prices for resources in the army’s supply department were abnormal, and requested that he talk to Mi Jing Lun about it.
“Haaa!” Mi Jing Lun sighed again, “Do you think I don’t want to reduce the prices? I just can’t simply do so! The military merits that our soldiers earn are priceless, paid for with their own lives. If there was a possibility, how could we, the Supreme Headquarters, do such a thing? We just can’t achieve two opposing goals at the same time.”
“As for increasing our resource sources, there are only two ways for our Human Race to do so. One is to mine them from the New Great Territory, and the other is to loot the Black Ink Clan. But the resources in the New Great Territory are also limited. After so many years of mining, they may not last much longer. Although looting the Black Ink Clan’s convoys is a profitable enterprise, it also entails enormous risks, and the amount we can get each time is not stable.”
In the past, although there were many Open Heaven Realm Masters in the 3,000 Worlds, there were not many in the High-Rank. They were always exclusive to the Cave Heavens and Paradises, and those who had successfully cultivated to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm were sent generation after generation to the Black Ink Battlefield to fight against the Black Ink Clan, resulting in countless casualties.
Overall, the resources flowing through the market in the 3,000 Worlds were more than sufficient for Humans to use. But now, the situation had changed. The Human Race was confined to just a dozen or so Great Territories, and the channels for obtaining resources had decreased greatly, while the number of High-Rank Open Heaven Real Masters had increased exponentially. This increase in demand and decrease in supply resulted in a substantial deficit in resources. Although the various Cave Heavens and Paradises had offered up their reserves, they would not be able to sustain themselves for much longer.
After hearing Mi Jing Lun’s complaint, Yang Kai realised the gravity of the situation. Though the issue of materials had long plagued the Human Race, he had never given it much thought until now that it had become a pressing matter that demanded immediate attention.
If one day the Humans were to run out of supplies, the consequences would be dire.
“Senior Brother, if I may ask, do you have a solution?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
Mi Jing Lun replied “I’ve given it some thought. The only way to resolve this is to seek resources outside. You have a direct route to the Black Ink Battlefield, right? I’d like to request that you send some people there to gather resources.”
The resources on the Black Ink Battlefield were abundant. Within the countless dead Universe Worlds lay many precious resources waiting to be extracted. If they could successfully harvest them, it would greatly ease the pressure on the Humans’ demand for supplies.
“I can do that.” Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “It’s settled then. I’ll send people over when the time comes. But Senior Brother, we’ll need some Masters to support us if we’re going to the Black Ink Battlefield. That is still the Black Ink Clan’s territory, so if the mining teams encounter them, they will be at serious risk without enough Masters to protect them.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” Mi Jing Lun nodded lightly.
“Then, Senior Brother, I’ll wait for your message,” Yang Kai said as he rose from his seat.
Leaving the Supreme Headquarters, Yang Kai did not venture far, choosing instead to head to Profound Nether Territory.
However, since the agreement he made with Six Arms, the battle in Profound Nether Territory had not been as intense as before; after all, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters were banned from fighting.
Without the clash of such Masters from both sides, the battles in Profound Nether Territory were relatively tame. At most, skirmishes between the Feudal Lords and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters took place.
Rising stars from both sides continued to make a name for themselves and hone their skills on this battlefield, but for someone like Ou Yang Lie, an Eighth-Order Master, life had become unbearably dull.
Forbidden from interfering in battles, but required to remain stationed in Profound Nether Territory as a precaution, Ou Yang Lie had grown bored to the point of desperation over the past few millennia. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken an interest in the army’s logistic affairs at all.
He had even requested to be transferred to other Great Territories like Azure Sun Territory, where Eighth-Order Masters could participate in battles, only to be rejected by Mi Jing Lun time and time again.
Ou Yang Lie was so infuriated that he considered cutting ties with Mi Jing Lun and even vented his frustration by insulting him in front of others at the Supreme Headquarters.
When he saw Yang Kai coming, Ou Yang Lie’s eyes filled with tears as he clamoured for Yang Kai to leave his seal on the transfer order.
The main reason Ou Yang Lie hadn’t been transferred from Profound Nether Territory for all these years was that Yang Kai was like an elusive Dragon, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
Yang Kai, as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, had Ou Yang Lie as his subordinate General. Even if the Supreme Headquarters wanted to mobilise manpower from the Profound Nether Army, they would need to go through Yang Kai; otherwise, what would be the point of having an Army Commander?
Mi Jing Lun had previously told Ou Yang Lie that as long as he could receive Yang Kai’s seal on the transfer order document, the Supreme Headquarters would have no objections.
But where and how could Ou Yang Lie find Yang Kai?
Previously, Yang Kai had been in retreat at the World Tree, so it was not convenient to disturb him. That retreat lasted for some 2,000 years. It was not until Ou Yang Lie heard the news that Yang Kai had finally ended his retreat that he rushed back to the Star Boundary, only to find that Yang Kai had already left.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai appeared in front of him right now.
Ou Yang Lie was so grateful that he took out the transfer order document that was long prepared and stared at Yang Kai with an attitude that indicated ‘if you don’t agree, I’ll die in front of you’.
Yang Kai looked at the contents of the transfer order document and frowned slightly, his expression inexplicable. After a long time, he sighed, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, are you sure you want to leave Profound Nether Territory?”
“Absolutely! I can’t stand this damned place anymore!” He exclaimed.
Just looking at what he had been doing for the past 3,000 years. All he did was patrol various forward outposts each day, give speeches to newly arrived soldiers, and then drink until he was thoroughly drunk…
He was even bored enough to go to the Black Ink Clan and argue with the Six Arms and the other Territory Lords…
These boring and miserable days were nothing compared to charging into battles and killing enemies. Before Yang Kai made an agreement with the Black Ink Clan, though the situation in the Profound Nether Army was dire, at least they were living boldly and valiantly.
For a hot-blooded man like him, even if his life ended in battle, it would still be preferable to a life of obscurity and insignificance.
With that said, Ou Yang Lie added, “Junior Brother, please do not misunderstand me. I am not dissatisfied with you, nor am I dissatisfied with the Profound Nether Army. It’s just that this environment isn’t quite suitable for me. Ever since I joined the Black Ink Battlefield all those years ago, I haven’t experienced such idle days. Time just crawls by here!”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding, “I understand. In that case, Senior Brother Ou Yang, please go.”
Saying so, he stamped his seal onto the transfer order.
Ou Yang Lie immediately smiled and snatched the document, scanning it before cheering, “I’m finally free!”
It was as if a prisoner, who had been trapped for years, had regained his freedom!
Ou Yang Lie pocketed the document and cupped his fist to Yang Kai, “Junior Brother, I’ll be reporting to the Supreme Headquarters now. Take care of yourself. I’m sure we’ll fight together again someday!”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t wait to turn and leave. He didn’t want to spend another moment in Profound Nether Territory. He cried out joyously in his heart, [Azure Sun Territory, here I come!] And his laughter echoed into the distance.
Watching Ou Yang Lie’s departing figure, Yang Kai sighed. In life, there would always be unexpected disappointments. Senior Brother Ou Yang’s departure would likely not bring him the satisfaction he hoped for.
After bidding farewell to Ou Yang Lie, Yang Kai concealed his aura and figure before wandering around Profound Nether Territory to investigate its situation.
With his current cultivation, as well as his proficiency in the Dao of Space, he could easily avoid detection even from the Innate Territory Lords if he was careful enough.
Profound Nether Territory was unremarkable, everything was just as it was when he left so many years ago, except that the number of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had significantly increased.
Without staying long in Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai returned to the Supreme Headquarters a few days later to await further orders.
Mi Jing Lun was quick to prepare, and within a month, everything was ready.
When Yang Kai arrived at the main square, he saw that tens of thousands of soldiers had already gathered. However, these soldiers were quite different from the norm.
Many of them had either grey or white hair, and although they didn’t look particularly old, they certainly weren’t young. Their cultivation levels were also generally low, with most of them at the Fourth or Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, some even at the Third-Order.
Yang Kai understood immediately that these were the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were born in the early days and their current cultivation had already reached their innate limit.
Such a cultivation would be ineffective on the various battlefields, as they would be very vulnerable to corruption from the Black Ink Strength. Thus, they were typically assigned to logistics roles.
This group of people would have limited usefulness in combat; however, if they were brought to the Black Ink Battlefield to mine resources, that wouldn’t pose any hindrance.
It was clear that Mi Jing Lun had considered this issue thoroughly, which was why he had summoned this group of people, wanting Yang Kai to escort them to the Black Ink Battlefield.
Apart from the thousands who were responsible for mining or sourcing resources, nine Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were standing among them. These were the veterans from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, all of whom had participated in the battles on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Yang Kai respectfully greeted these Elders, acknowledging their vital role in protecting the ones tasked with mining the dangerous Black Ink Battlefield. While nine Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might not seem like enough, the nature of this mission required a discrete approach.
Their presence was only a precaution for any unforeseen circumstances, not to start a conflict with the Black Ink Clan. Too large and powerful a force would draw unwanted attention, and it would also affect the deployment of the Human Race Army on the various other battlefields.
“Junior Brother Yang, we’re counting on you,” Mi Jing Lun nonchalantly instructed.
“Senior Brother may rest assured.”
With a nod, Mi Jing Lun turned to address the thousands of Low-Rank cultivators. They knew their mission and even though they had never set foot on the Black Ink Battlefield before, they had heard of it and understood that it was a place where the blood of their ancestors had been shed in defence of their people. While this was not a crusade, how successful they were in amassing resources would play a big role in determining the fate of the Human Race. Thus, there was no killing intent, but there was still a heavy solemnity in the air.
In a sense, going to the Black Ink Battlefield to gather resources was another kind of battle, and the stakes were just as high.
Soon enough, Yang Kai and the nine Eighth-Order veterans opened their Small Universes, allowing the thousands of cultivators to enter in an orderly fashion.
As the preparations were finalised, Mi Jing Lun quietly informed Yang Kai of a separate mission, “Junior Brother, Brother Ou Yang has already gone ahead to the Black Prison. When you meet him there, you don’t have to say too much, just take him to Black Ink Battlefield and the others will explain the situation to him.”
Yang Kai was taken aback as he commented, “I thought Senior Brother Ou Yang had already gone to Azure Sun Territory…”
He hadn’t seen Ou Yang Lie in the square just now, but it seemed his guess from before was wrong. Mi Jing Lun had obviously arranged for Ou Yang Lie to be part of this operation without giving the latter any prior information. Of course, if Ou Yang Lie knew about the mission beforehand, he probably would have refused. He had left the Profound Nether Army because he was tired of the dull and boring days and he craved excitement and battle.
Guarding Profound Nether Territory was not fundamentally different from watching over the teams extracting resources on the Black Ink Battlefield. The former was influenced by the agreement between the two Races, which forbade the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Masters from interfering in battles except in six Great Territory Battlefields. As for the latter, success depended highly on stealth and evading detection from the Black Ink Clan. Comparing the two, life would possibly be even harder for Ou Yang Lie on the Black Ink Battlefield than in Profound Nether Territory…
Mi Jing Lun let out a sigh, “I know what his thoughts are, but… after thousands of life and death battles, he has accumulated too many dark injuries that can’t be healed. If he could advance to the Ninth Order, it would be alright, but he has no hope of doing so in this lifetime. Those hidden wounds are constantly sapping away his vitality, so he shouldn’t participate in fights against the Masters of the Black Ink Clan anymore.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before saying, “Senior Brother Ou Yang will definitely blame you later.”
In response, Mi Jing Lun smiled wryly, “Let him blame me all he wants. It’s just my own selfishness. So many of our old friends are gone forever, with more leaving us every day. Someone needs to stay alive to witness the day when the Human Race triumphs.”
Yang Kai said, “Rest assured, Senior Brother Mi. The younger generation has risen to the challenge and can take over the banner from the Seniors to resist the Black Ink Clan. As for that day… it will come sooner or later.” He turned around and bowed, continuing, “Take care, Senior Brother Mi. I hope you and Senior Brother Ou Yang can witness that glorious moment together.”
“Good!” Mi Jing Lun smiled.
“Farewell!” Yang Kai cupped his fist, turned around, and flew away, followed closely by the nine Eighth-Order Masters.
Under Yang Kai’s guidance, they passed through various Great Territories, each using their own Secret Techniques to conceal their auras.
This time, they were going to the Black Ink Battlefield to mine resources, unlike the last time when they went to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. There were too many Eighth-Order Masters on that occasion, nearly 400, so Yang Kai couldn’t protect them all when travelling through the hidden Void Corridor. As a result, they had to transit through the No-Return Pass and could not conceal their movements.
However, this time they had to be as stealthy as possible; otherwise, if the Black Ink Clan discovered their movements, it was highly likely that something unexpected might occur.
On the way, they encountered some Black Ink Clansmen, but there were no elite combatants around guarding them, making it impossible for the enemy to detect Yang Kai and the others’ movements.
They hurried all the way to Black Territory!
Currently, apart from High Heaven Territory controlled by the Human Race, the New Great Territory, and the Great Territory where the Supreme Headquarters was located, there were Black Ink Clansmen in essentially every other Great Territory in the 3,000 Worlds.
However, there were two exceptions, one of which was the Chaotic Dead Territory. After the Black Ink Clan suffered a huge loss at the hands of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, they declared the Chaotic Dead Territory as a Forbidden Zone, where even the Royal Lord dared not venture.
The second exception was Black Territory, which was once abundant with Ore Stars, each containing rich cultivation materials. However, to break the Early Ancient Era’s Super Array and kill the Royal Lord that was suppressed and sealed there, the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, along with their countless disciples, joined forces and mine out the entire Black Territory, harvesting all the resources there and simultaneously breaking the Grand Array.
Now, Black Territory was empty, with nothing left but broken rubble. Although the Black Ink Clan had explored the area before, they found nothing but a barren land, thus they did not bother deploying any forces here.
But this worked out well for Yang Kai and his companions. Once they entered Black Territory, they no longer needed to hide. Under Yang Kai’s lead, they rushed towards the entrance of the secret passage.
Finally, after a couple of days, they arrived at their destination.
Yang Kai scanned his surroundings with his Divine Sense and spotted an asteroid floating nearby before calling out, “Senior Brother Ou Yang!”
Ou Yang Lie leaped out from behind the asteroid and approached Yang Kai with a grin, “You’ve got sharp eyes, Brat. I thought I had hidden well, but you still found me.”
He was clearly in a good mood. Ever since he left Profound Nether Territory with his transfer order in hand, he had been feeling quite content.
When he noticed the nine Eighth-Order Masters behind Yang Kai, Ou Yang Lie’s eyes lit up as he greeted them warmly. They were all old acquaintances who had fought alongside each other on the Black Ink Battlefield against the Black Ink Clan. Their friendship stretched back to the days when they were cultivating in their respective Sects.
After some heartfelt conversation, Ou Yang Lie eagerly asked Yang Kai, “Junior Brother, why are we going to the Black Ink Battlefield this time? Are we going to attack the No-Return Pass?”
Having arrived here at Mi Jing Lun’s instruction and seeing Yang Kai lead nine veteran Eighth-Order Masters over, Ou Yang Lie guessed they were up to something big. This stirred up his battle instincts that had been dormant for over 2,000 years.
“I have no issue if we were to attack the No-Return Pass, but it seems like we are short on manpower.” Ou Yang Lie began to worry. A Royal Lord was guarding at the No-Return Pass, along with a Pseudo-Royal Lord and many Territory Lords. It was going to be difficult for them to make any headway with just these few people.
However, considering Yang Kai’s many achievements in the past, the situation suddenly became clear to him, “I know! We’re going to launch a quick raid to destroy those Black Ink Nests!”
He was obviously excited and had a lot to say.
Yang Kai did not know how to explain the situation to Ou Yang Lie, but luckily, an old veteran who had a close relationship with Ou Yang Lie pulled him aside and said, “Ou Yang, don’t ask too much. You’ll know when we get there.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking rice, “Good, good. Let’s go!”
Yang Kai nodded and looked around, “Please connect your auras to mine for this journey. I will do my best to protect all of you; however, this Void Corridor is highly turbulent. If we get separated, please don’t panic, Senior Brothers. Just hold your ground and wait for me to find you while ensuring your own safety.”
All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nodded.
“Good!” Yang Kai shouted and Space Principles surged out, causing ripples to spread in front of them like a calm lake that had been disturbed by a stone.
Everyone was amazed as they watched. All of them were Eighth-Order Open Heaven Masters and were capable of breaking the Void when they exerted all their might, but none of them could manipulate it skillfully like Yang Kai did. This was the ability of someone who was proficient in the Dao of Space.
As the ripples spread, a noticeable difference in the Void appeared ahead. With Yang Kai’s continuous manipulation of Space Principles, a certain spot ahead of them slowly revealed the illusory phantom of a portal.
Looking up, the portal looked like an abyss, chaotic and terrifying.
“Stay close to me!” Yang Kai urged while taking the lead to step into the portal. Following him were the 10 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, steadily connecting their auras with Yang Kai’s.
In the passageway ahead, Yang Kai broke through the barrier he had set during his previous transit while also forming a new one behind the last person of their group.
If he was alone, or even with two or three people, it wouldn’t have been very difficult for Yang Kai to accomplish this; however, with 10 people at once, it was a bit taxing. Fortunately, everything was still within his limits, though it was much more time-consuming than previous trips through this Void Corridor.
Ou Yang Lie and the others all had high cultivation and extensive experience, but walking through this kind of Void Corridor was a first for them. Still, they didn’t dare to look around carelessly for fear of triggering any unnecessary accidents. By sensing their surroundings, they only perceived the chaotic Void Turbulence and the surging power of chaos filling the surroundings of this mysterious and unpredictable place. Even for Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like themselves, getting lost in such a place would likely not have a good outcome.
If they were lucky, they might one day find a way out, but if luck wasn’t on their side, they could be trapped here for the rest of their lives. That was why they became increasingly cautious as they proceeded forward. In this peculiar environment, both time and space seemed to blur, and they lost track of how long they had been wandering until a sudden flash of light appeared in front of them. It was only now that they realized they arrived at their destination.
The void rippled, and with each expanding wave, a portal gradually revealed itself. Soon after, figures emerged from the portal, one after the other.
Yang Kai quickly sealed it up again, making it appear as though nothing had happened.
Ou Yang Lie took out a Universe Chart of the Black Ink Battlefield and, after a few comparisons, he determined that they were standing somewhere in the area of the Blue Sky Theatre that was once occupied by the Black Ink Clan. It was quite far from where Blue Sky Pass was originally positioned, much closer to the Royal City.
It was at Blue Sky Pass where Yang Kai had risen to prominence, bringing Purifying Light to the Human Race and designing the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, turning what had once been an ordinary Great Pass among many into a shining beacon of hope.
Besides that, Yang Kai’s presence allowed Blue Sky Pass to establish the first forward outpost outside of a Royal City. Using the numerous Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens nearby, Blue Sky Pass set up numerous traps that inflicted heavy losses upon the Black Ink Clan, severely damaging the latter’s foundation in the Blue Sky Theatre.
This victory set the stage for a Crusade, with the Blue Sky Army becoming the first to conquer part of the Black Ink Clan’s territory, earning it a reputation that echoed through the ages.
Yang Kai also took out his Universe Chart and identified the direction they needed to go in, then led his 10 companions towards the depths of the void.
Ou Yang Lie followed behind him, completely puzzled, so he asked, “Junior Brother, aren’t we going in the wrong direction? The No-Return Pass is that way.”
The direction they were taking was completely different from where the No-Return Pass was located, leaving Ou Yang Lie confused.
Although Yang Kai was tempted to explain everything to him, he chose to hold his tongue, fearing the consequences, “Senior Brother, please be patient. I’ll explain everything once we arrive.”
Upon hearing that, Ou Yang Lie suppressed his doubts and followed silently.
Along the way, Yang Kai left several Space Beacons behind to be used as waypoints, knowing he would have to come back once he had escorted Ou Yang Lie and the others to their destination.
They passed by the Royal City that was once magnificent, but was now ravaged by the previous wars. The entire Universe World was in shambles and broken into numerous fragments, faintly showing the devastation from the battle millennia ago.
When the Blue Sky Army had set forth on their crusade, the Black Ink Clan’s forces in the Blue Sky Theatre had not fully recovered, so they were left defenceless against the formidable might of Blue Sky Pass. In the end, the Royal City was reduced to rubble and their Army was decimated. The Old Ancestor of Blue Sky Pass, aided by some of the strongest Eighth-Order Masters, had beheaded the Royal Lord in that battle.
The Royal Lord’s demise marked the complete defeat of the Black Ink Clan in the Blue Sky Theatre.
But that was all in the past now, and Yang Kai had long since left Blue Sky Pass. When Blue Sky Pass went on its crusade, Yang Kai was leading his comrades into battle as part of the Great Evolution Army.
To avoid running into teams from the Black Ink Clan who were harvesting resources, the Humans had to venture deeper into the Black Ink Battlefield. Only by putting enough distance between themselves and the enemy could they avoid any disastrous encounters.
Only after a month’s journey beyond where the Royal City was located did Yang Kai stop and sweep the area with his Divine Sense. Here, there were many dead Universe Worlds with little evidence of mining, making it an obvious place for a fruitful harvest.
“This is the spot,” Yang Kai declared.
The Eighth-Order Masters didn’t object, except for Ou Yang Lie, who wore a dark expression and remained silent. He might be impulsive at times and not skilled in cunning schemes, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. The many signs on the way here made him understand that this mission might not be as straightforward as he had imagined.
There was a high chance that he got tricked by Big Head Mi!
While he was lost in thought, Yang Kai had already dispersed with the other nine Eighth-Orders Masters. He then opened the portal of his Small Universe, releasing all the cultivators stored inside. Besides them, there were many Warships, including two Purifying Black Ink Battleships.
Ou Yang Lie’s suspicion grew as he took in the sight before him. The cultivators who had been released were mostly of the Fourth and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, some were even in the Third-Order, and almost all of them were elderly, not the type of lineup one would expect for a significant combat mission. It was more like they were on a retirement trip.
Yang Kai turned to the Eighth-Order Masters and said, “I entrust this matter to you. Here is a Space Beacon for each of you. Please keep it close. Every 100 years or so, I will come to find you and collect the resources you’ve gathered.”
It would be troublesome to send everything back that tens of thousands of people had mined. Only Yang Kai could handle it personally. By handing over the Space Beacons, it would also be convenient for him to locate them in the future. As long as they weren’t too far away, Yang Kai could easily locate them and arrive instantly.
The Eighth-Order Masters accepted the Space Beacons and stored them carefully, except for Ou Yang Lie who was now glaring at Yang Kai with eyes spewing flames of anger.
With a wry smile, Yang Kai grabbed his arm and slapped a Space Beacon into his hand, apologising, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, if you have any questions, please ask the other Senior Brothers later. Junior Brother has other important matters to attend to and can’t stay long.”
The truth was, he couldn’t face Ou Yang Lie’s disappointment.
Turning his head, he reminded other Eighth-Order Masters, “If you encounter any danger that cannot be resolved, please lead everyone to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, where the Suppressing Black Ink Army is stationed and Dragon Clan Senior Fu Guang is assuming command.”
This statement caught everyone off guard. They had never heard of the Suppressing Black Ink Army and had no idea that Supreme Headquarters had made such arrangements. Moreover, they were surprised to learn that the Dragon Clan’s Fu Guang, who had disappeared for so many years, was actually guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction this whole time.
One of the Eighth-Order Master immediately nodded and said, “Junior Brother may rest assured. Leave them to us and we shall protect them. But what’s this about the Suppressing Black Ink Army? Can you enlighten us about it?”
Everything regarding the Suppressing Black Ink Army had been done in secrecy previously to prevent news from spreading and affecting the morale of the Human Race, but there was no harm in sharing this information with these veteran Eighth-Order Masters.
Yang Kai thus briefly explained the situation with the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress and Army.
An Eighth-Order veteran suddenly realised, “No wonder so many elites were reassigned from the various battlefields by the Supreme Headquarters 130 years ago. It was all to form the Suppressing Black Ink Army!”
Another Master asked with concern, “Is the situation at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction serious?”
“It’s still within a controllable range, and Senior Fu Guang is personally guarding that place, so there’s no need to worry,” Yang Kai replied.
With these words, everyone was relieved. Apart from Giant Spirit God Ah Er, who was still fighting the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Barren Territory, Divine Dragon Fu Guang was currently the strongest Master on the Human Race’s side. Having such a Master guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was indeed reassuring.
A moment later, under the gaze of the Eighth-Order Masters, Yang Kai took a step forward, and his figure gradually faded away.
Ou Yang Lie didn’t stop him, but turned to the other Eighth-Order Masters and asked through gritted teeth, “Shouldn’t you all give me an explanation now?”
One of the Eighth-Order Masters who had a good relationship with Ou Yang Lie sighed and stepped forward to explain the mission they were tasked with.
Learning that this trip was not for any major battle, but just to oversee the gathering of resources, Ou Yang Lie furiously exclaimed, “Big Head Mi, I curse you and your Ancestors!”
The Master quickly advised, “Junior Brother Ou Yang, calm down. Although there is no war here, this place is still of great significance to the Human Race. Our soldiers need resources for cultivation and healing, and with the current shortage, we can only resort to such measures. Even compared to killing enemies on the battlefield, our mission is no less important. We are all working for the future of the Human Race!”
“Right, right…” Another Master went along.
“Right my foot!” Ou Yang Lie exploded, his red hair blazing like fire and his whole body seeming to be burning up. He had left Profound Nether Territory for one reason, to kill the enemy on the battlefield, not to come here and babysit these Third, Fourth, and Fifth-Order cultivators tasked with mining resources.
In a fit of rage, he strode towards the depths of Black Ink Battlefield.
“Where are you going, Brother Ou Yang?” The Eighth-Order Master who tried to calm him down called out in alarm.
“I’m going to Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction! I’m joining the Suppressing Black Ink Army to kill the enemy!” His voice echoed as he flew off into the distance.
The other nine Masters looked at each other, unsure of whether to stop him or not. In the end, Ou Yang Lie disappeared without a trace.
After a while, one of them finally said, “Thank goodness he didn’t go to the No-Return Pass impulsively…”
Going to the No-Return Pass alone was a death sentence, but going to Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and joining the Suppressing Black Ink Army was still acceptable.
“Don’t worry, he’ll come back,” another Eighth-Order Master said.
“How do you know?”
“Brother Ou Yang may not be from Great Battle Heaven, but ever since he ascended to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he has fought on the Black Ink Battlefield. He has long become accustomed to military life, and he’s a true soldier. Although he has a foul temper, he won’t act recklessly in defiance of orders; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed in Profound Nether Territory for so many years just to get his transfer order stamped,” the Master explained.
Everyone felt that what he said made sense. Ou Yang Lie’s behaviour was indeed like this. If he was someone who truly acted on impulse, he wouldn’t have stayed in Profound Nether Territory for so long.
As expected, half a day later, Ou Yang Lie appeared from the depths of the void, still a little mad, but his fury somewhat subsided.
An Eighth-Order Master welcomed him back personally, patted his shoulder, and laughed, “Ou Yang Lie, just accept it. Isn’t this Mi Jing Lun’s favour to us old friends?”
Everyone understood why they were sent here to look after the mining team.
Each of them had experienced countless life-and-death crises, and each had accumulated many hidden injuries. As they got older, their conditions deteriorated, and some of them had already fallen from their peak state.
They all had great passion for protecting and serving the Human Race, but if the day came when the Human Race defeated the Black Ink Clan, cleared the ashes of war, and rebuilt order, the experience of the older generation would be an indispensable guide for the new generation.
Sending them here to look after this resource-gathering team was not only Mi Jing Lun’s favour, but also for the future of the Human Race!
Ou Yang Lie immediately snorted, “Do I need him to take care of me? I’m still strong, and age has only made me tougher! If we’re going to fight the Black Ink Clan, what are we old guys good for if we don’t lead the way and instead shove all the heavy burdens onto those young brats?”
“Indeed, we old fogeys are still as sharp as ever, but those little brats still have much room to grow. We need to give them a chance to shine.” The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master knew well that Ou Yang Lie was a stubborn mule and wouldn’t challenge him.
Ou Yang Lie remained silent for a long time, then finally spoke with a harsh tone, “When I return home someday, I’ll twist Big Head Mi’s head off and use it as a chamber pot!” He then thought of Yang Kai and added, “And that Yang Boy, he’s not a good thing either! He dared to trick me like this. I’ll give him a beating when I see him!”
“Good. Us fellow brothers will help you!” The Eighth-Order Master responded with a big smile, “With our combined strength, that brat won’t stand a chance.”
Ou Yang Lie looked at him and sighed heavily, his face full of sadness. It had come to this, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Soon, tens of thousands were dispersed by the Eighth-Order Masters to explore the area nearby for resources.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already used the Space Beacons to return to the Blue Sky Theatre, still feeling guilty. He could understand Ou Yang Lie’s mood, but this was Mi Jing Lun’s arrangement, so he could not intervene. Moreover, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that veterans like Ou Yang Lie could retire from the battlefield.
The number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was now significant, and many rising stars were active on various battlefields. It was no longer a time when veteran warriors with countless scars had to bear the brunt of the harsh conditions.
The younger generation was now capable of taking on the heavy responsibilities of the Seniors!
However, as Mi Jing Lun worried, the problem that plagued Human development was still the resources. The emergence of a large number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters meant a massive demand for resources.
Sending some manpower to the Black Ink Battlefield to mine resources was one way to solve the problem, but exploration and extraction always took time, so Yang Kai planned to look for solutions elsewhere.
Resources were something that the Black Ink Clan did not lack. After his last experience at the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai was well aware of this fact as they didn’t even hesitate to hand over a massive amount of materials as compensation.
Since the Black Ink Clan didn’t lack resources, Yang Kai decided to just steal some.
Yang Kai decided to become a Hunter! Ever since he heard about the Hunters, he had been fascinated by their existence. If he was still a Sixth or Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he would have immediately become one and lived a carefree life raiding enemy convoys.
However, he was no longer the insignificant person he once was. His strength and status had both elevated him to a position where each of his words and actions had a significant impact on the overall situation. While Yang Kai still yearned to become a Hunter, he couldn’t risk the unpredictable consequences of such a move.
But, on this Black Ink Battlefield, he did not need to worry at all. When the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race signed their peace agreement years ago, it only applied to the 3,000 Worlds. It did not include the Black Ink Battlefield.
Hunting was also a time-intensive activity that often required patience and careful planning, but since Yang Kai had nothing else to do and was free from the need to cultivate, he could use this time to accumulate resources for the Human Race.
Months later, inside the Main Hall of the No-Return Pass, the Royal Lord sat on the throne of bones, with Mo Na Ye seated to his left. Territory Lords lined both sides of the hall, with their eyes fixed on the Royal Lord.
They were all confused, and even Mo Na Ye was puzzled as well.
Due to Yang Kai’s existence, the Black Ink Clan could not afford to let their guard down, even with a new Pseudo-Royal Lord on their side. Mo Na Ye could not leave the No-Return Pass at will, lest Yang Kai found an opportunity to destroy more Black Ink Nests here.
Since the Royal Lord could not protect everything on his own, they could only ensure the safety of the Black Ink Nest by joining forces.
That was why the Royal Lord had been staying here all these years, rarely making an appearance. Even when he did come out, he looked gloomy, obviously still upset about Yang Kai’s last visit.
But with Mo Na Ye as a capable assistant, the Royal Lord completely became an arm-flinging shopkeeper, leaving all major and minor matters of the Black Ink Clan war effort to be handled by him, so he was able to relax.
However, at this moment, the Royal Lord’s expression looked… exceptionally joyful. It was unclear if something had happened on the Great Territory Battlefields, or if there had been some breakthrough development in the Black Ink Clan.
Then, as they recalled the tone in which the Royal Lord summoned them to this conference hall earlier, the Black Ink Clan elites secretly anticipated good news.
The Royal Lord remained silent, and the Territory Lords dared not speak without permission either. Instead, it was Mo Na Ye, a Pseudo-Royal Lord, who smiled and asked, “Sir Royal Lord, is there good news you have to share with us today?”
The Royal Lord chuckled and looked approvingly at Mo Na Ye. Although he had many loyal followers, only Mo Na Ye was quick-minded and able to read his intentions. This was also why he was willing to delegate power to Mo Na Ye. There was no possibility of a power struggle in the Black Ink Clan, as Mo Na Ye’s Pseudo-Royal Lord status meant that he could never surpass the real Royal Lord’s authority, so there was no concern over infighting even if so much power was given to Mo Na Ye.
After nodding in approval at him, the Royal Lord announced the great news, “There is news from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!”
With that announcement, the room erupted in surprise.
The Territory Lords widened their eyes in excitement, while Mo Na Ye jumped up from his seat, exclaiming, “Sir, has the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction been broken?”
Since the battle outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and its subsequent sealing and Mo’s slumber, the Black Ink Clan had been unable to contact them. However, now the Royal Lord claimed that there was news from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, indicating that the Supreme One had awakened and the Grand Restriction had been broken.
If this was true, the day when the Black Ink Clan would rule all under the Heavens would soon arrive! Even Mo Na Ye, who was usually calm and composed, was overcome with excitement and could not help but shed tears.
But the Royal Lord waved his hand and said, “It’s not what you think. The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction is still there, and the Supreme One is still asleep.”
The excited Territory Lords were suddenly silenced like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on them.
Then, Mo Na Ye asked, “If that’s the case, how did news come from the other side?”
“I’m also unsure, and due to the interference of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the message is not very clear. All I know is that the Humans still have some control over that place and that someone deliberately opened a gap, like before,” the Royal Lord replied.
“Someone is controlling the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
“But it can’t be Cang, can it? How can anyone control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
“Who is this person?”
The Territory Lords were clamouring and asking questions. They were all Innate Territory Lords who came from inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so they knew about the situation there very well. They knew that Cang was the last Human Race Master who could control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and after his death, no one should be able to do so.
But now, the Royal Lord was saying that someone was in control of that place. If this message did not come from the Black Ink Clan inside the Grand Restriction, they would never have believed it.
While the Territory Lords were concerned about who was controlling the restriction, Mo Na Ye picked up on a different piece of information and asked, “Sir, when was the gap opened?”
The Royal Lord answered, “It should have been some 100 years ago.”
Mo Na Ye murmured with a frown, “Around 100 years ago… Sir, back then, Yang Kai led several hundred Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Human Race through the No-Return Pass and into the Black Ink Battlefield. Considering the timeline… could it be that the person who controls the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction now is Yang Kai?”
This was not a wild guess, as Yang Kai often accomplished things that others couldn’t. If he was really the one controlling the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Mo Na Ye wouldn’t be surprised.
The Royal Lord, however, shook his head and said, “It’s not him. Although the information from the Grand Restriction is not complete, I’ve inquired carefully. The person who controls the Grand Restriction now does not resemble Yang Kai at all. It must be someone we don’t know about.”
Mo Na Ye didn’t doubt him and only sighed, “The Human Race still has such a heritage!”
After Cang’s death, it was assumed that there would be no one who could control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction again. This was good news for the Black Ink Clan, as they could easily break it once the Supreme One awakened.
However, it was different if someone was guarding it. Even the Supreme One couldn’t underestimate the power of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, or else it wouldn’t have been trapped for so many aeons already.
Mo Na Ye continued to ask, “But if the Human Race has someone who can control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, why did they take the initiative to open a gap?”
The Royal Lord replied, “Those inside the Grand Restriction can sense that the Human controlling it now is much weaker than Cang, so their control over the Grand Restriction is far inferior. This person must have opened the gap to alleviate the pressure he was facing. This is clearly something the Human Race had planned to do long ago. When Yang Kai passed through the No-Return Pass with those hundreds of Eighth-Order Masters, it was to go to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Now, there is an elite Human Race Army and a Divine Dragon, Fu Guang, fighting against those who are rushing out. This has been happening for over 100 years.”
Mo Na Ye suddenly realised, “Curse those Humans!”
When the Territory Lords below heard that their clansmen were being constantly killed at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they immediately started clamouring again.
A Territory Lord even stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Sir Royal Lord, please let me lead a large army to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to coordinate with those inside and crush those Humans.”
Mo Na Ye immediately stopped him, “That would not be appropriate!”
Although the Territory Lord was intimidated by Mo Na Ye’s Pseudo-Royal Lord authority, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why is it not appropriate?”
Mo Na Ye explained, “When Yang Kai passed through the No-Return Pass, he had as many as 400 Eighth-Order Open Heaven with him, and that’s just what we could see on the surface. Although there were suspicions at the time, we couldn’t be sure. Now that we have first-hand information, we can confirm that those 400 we saw that day were not the entire Human force. Many more must have been staying in their Small Universes, which is why they were able to form a large army at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!”
“This Human Race Army must be filled with elites with exceptional strength; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to ambush and kill the clansmen who broke through the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Furthermore, there is also a Divine Dragon on their side! If we want to go against such an Army, we can’t afford to send in too few Masters from our side, or we will just be sending them to their deaths. However, if we draw too many of our forces away from the front lines, how can we stabilize the situation on the various battlefields? The Humans will inevitably seize the opportunity to attack and break through our defences!”
Saying so, Mo Na Ye then looked at the Royal Lord and asked, “Do you know how many people are in that Army?”
“There shouldn’t be more than 10,000 in total, which isn’t a lot, but each individual is quite strong, especially those 400 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Additionally, they seem to have a large-scale artifact similar to a Great Pass with them.”
“A Great Pass!” Mo Na Ye furrowed his brow, and the Territory Lords all became fearful.
Although all of the Great Passes that still survived were abandoned around the No-Return Pass and were now occupied by the Black Ink Clan, it had cost them a massive price to capture them. If it weren’t for the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods aiding them at the time, the Black Ink Clan would not have been able to conquer the No-Return Pass.
Now, with an elite Army stationed at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and a Great Pass-like artifact assisting them, it was no wonder they had the confidence to open a gap in the Grand Restriction to alleviate the pressure.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but sigh deeply, “The Human’s heritage remains as powerful as ever…”
Just from the fact that the Humans were able to withdraw so many elites to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction without any impact on the situation in the various battlefields was enough to prove that the Human Race of today was not the same as the one from 3,000 years ago.
After the war in the Barren Territory, the Human Race had sunk to its lowest point. The Great Territory Battlefields were all in a passive state of defence, and Profound Nether Territory was almost conquered by the Black Ink Clan. If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s sudden appearance at the critical moment, Profound Nether Territory would have fallen into the hands of the Black Ink Clan.
Yes, it was all because of Yang Kai…
Since Yang Kai appeared in Profound Nether Territory, the Human Race’s plight had gradually been reversed. How did he even manage to accomplish such things?
After careful observation, Mo Na Ye realised that Yang Kai didn’t do much. Although he had killed many Innate Territory Lords, it hadn’t significantly impacted the balance of power between the two Races. No matter how powerful he was, he was just a single individual and could not wipe out the entire Black Ink Clan.
The true root of the matter lay in the peace agreement between the two Races!
The constraints of the peace treaty had provided a relatively safe training space for the younger generation of the Human Race. While this alone might not seem significant, what was crucial was that the Human Race had the Star Boundary and the Myriad Monsters World, two Open Heaven Realm Cradles.
The combination of such a relatively stable cultivation environment and a continuous influx of talented successors had shaped the Human Race’s formidable heritage over thousands of years.
It was a pity that when Yang Kai’s reputation was at its peak, and all the Innate Territory Lords trembled at the mere mention of his name, he proposed the peace agreement.
Who would dare to reject him at that time?
Looking at the current situation, this was all Yang Kai’s cunning plan. Even if the Black Ink Clan had seen through it at the time though, they could only accept it.
Mo Na Ye also caught on at this point. He thus grew more afraid of and suspicious of Yang Kai since he not only possessed incredible combat power but also had a far-seeing perspective. He was a great threat to the Black Ink Clan.
The Black Ink Clan had naturally thought about how to deal with this issue and concluded that the best course of action would be to destroy the Star Boundary and the Myriad Monsters World, the places that contributed to the continuous enhancement of the Human Race’s heritage. They were just two trivial Universe Worlds. If given the chance, any Territory Lord or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple could easily deal with them.
However, the Black Ink Clan simply could not find the opportunity to do so as every soldier that had been recalled from the front lines had to pass through a Grand Array filled with Purifying Light. Even if a Black Ink Disciple had impure intentions, the Purifying Light would cleanse and dispel any Black Ink Strength within them.
Moreover, both the Star Boundary and the Myriad Monsters World had multiple powerful Masters stationed there all year round, standing guard…
The voice of the Royal Lord came through, bringing Mo Na Ye back to focus.
“This King has asked if they need support over there, but those within the Grand Restriction believe it would be unwise to cause a commotion. They are working on finding other ways through the Grand Restriction, and if they succeed, they will be able to break free.”
Mo Na Ye perked up and asked, “Can they do it?”
He knew firsthand just how formidable the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was. When he was inside it years ago, many Black Ink Clansmen had attempted to breach it from within, but all had failed.
The Royal Lord replied, “Since they’ve said as much, there should be some progress. Although we do not know who the person overseeing the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction is now, their strength is far inferior to Cang, so their control is obviously not as good either. Furthermore, opening a gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction has had some impact on its integrity, which may have provided some opportunities for those inside!”
Mo Na Ye nodded lightly. The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was extremely ancient and had been operating constantly for millions of years. The new Human Race Master overseeing it was not like the legendary Cang, a powerful monster with unfathomable experience. They couldn’t be fully prepared, and as long as there was even the slightest flaw, those within the Grand Restriction would not miss that chance!
Today, the Royal Lord summoned many of his Territory Lords to share the good news. He wasn’t worried about any Territory Lord leaking the information because the Black Ink Clan was not the same as the Human Race. If a Human was corrupted by Black Ink Strength, they would tell everything they knew to the Black Ink Clan, but the Black Ink Clan would never leak critical information to the Humans.
After a while, the Royal Lord left, and the rest quickly dispersed as well while Mo Na Ye walked away, frowning deep in thought.
He was thinking about none other than Yang Kai!
Over 100 years ago, Yang Kai led a group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters through the No-Return Pass and into the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield. There had been no news about him for all this time, and no one knew where he had gone or what he was up to.
If it were an ordinary Eighth-Order Master, Mo Na Ye wouldn’t have cared, but Yang Kai was different. Whatever the circumstances, Yang Kai had even killed a Pseudo-Royal Lord, which was enough to make Mo Na Ye take him seriously.
After thinking for a while, Mo Na Ye couldn’t come to a conclusion. Yang Kai’s whereabouts had always been elusive, and it seemed that even the Human side had difficulty keeping track of him.
He was once again relieved when he thought about how Yang Kai had no hope of reaching the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If this headache-inducing menace had a chance to ascend to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, how could they handle him?
“Sir Mo Na Ye!” A Territory Lord approached suddenly.
Mo Na Ye turned his head and saw one of his Territory Lords in charge of logistics. He nodded and asked, “What’s the matter?”
The Territory Lord replied, “Sir, several squads that were supposed to return with resources have not returned yet.”
This wasn’t a big deal, but since Mo Na Ye was in charge of everything related to the No-Return Pass by the Royal Lord’s orders, he still had to investigate all abnormal occurrences. The Territory Lords had also become accustomed to his meticulous style, so they would come to him with any matter, big or small.
“How long are they overdue?” Mo Na Ye frowned, feeling that something was off.
The Territory Lord replied, “The earliest squad was supposed to have returned a month ago, while the latest should have arrived at the No-Return Pass five days ago.”
“Have you sent anyone to investigate?”
“Yes, a team has been sent and we should receive a report in a few days.”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “Notify me the moment you have answers.”
“Yes!”
A few days later, the Feudal Lord in charge of gathering news sent a message to the No-Return Pass using his Black Ink Nest. The teams responsible for transporting materials had already set off for the No-Return Pass, but mysteriously disappeared halfway!
When the news reached Mo Na Ye, he immediately realised the problem.
The teams transporting resources disappeared without a trace, but the Human Race had no presence on the Black Ink Battlefield other than at the Grand Restriction. Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had been constantly mining resources from the Black Ink Battlefield and transporting them to the front lines without any issues; however, recently, several squads transporting resources disappeared for no reason!
[Someone must be causing trouble…] The first person that came to Mo Na Ye’s mind was Yang Kai.
Only Yang Kai could do such a thing. Considering that he had gone deep into the Black Ink Battlefield over 100 years ago and had not been seen since, it was almost certain that Yang Kai was now camping near the No-Return Pass, waiting for the Black Ink Clan’s resource teams to appear so he could rob them.
[Shameless!]
Mo Na Ye immediately took out a communication bead and transmitted a message using his Divine Sense.
This communication bead was left to him by Yang Kai the last time they met when he needed to hand over a batch of resources. Mo Na Ye hadn’t thrown it away, thinking that he might be able to use it to probe Yang Kai’s location in the future. He didn’t expect it to be useful so soon.
After a while, the communication bead in his hand trembled slightly, causing Mo Na Ye’s brow to twitch…
Yang Kai was really near the No-Return Pass. The movement of the communication bead was undoubtedly a sign that the message had been successfully transmitted!
10 million kilometres outside of the No-Return Pass, on a lone Universe Fragment, Yang Kai hid his figure and surveyed the surroundings with his Divine Sense. His current Divine Sense was incredibly powerful, and from this location, he could monitor the movements of all Black Ink Clan squads returning from the Black Ink Battlefield.
Over the last month or so, he had raided five Black Ink Clan teams, seized their resources, and made a great deal of profit.
He didn’t raid all the Black Ink Clan squads, but selectively chose a few; after all, he was doing business without investment so he couldn’t be too excessive. To continue this venture for a long time, he needed to take a steady approach; otherwise, the Black Ink Clan would probably act out in rage, damaging his future prospects.
As he was monitoring the movements of the void around him, Yang Kai suddenly felt something and took out a communication bead. With his Divine Sense, he probed it and couldn’t help but praise Mo Na Ye’s quick thinking.
He knew that he couldn’t hide his actions for long, so Yang Kai deliberately wore this communication bead on his body. He just didn’t expect Mo Na Ye to contact him so quickly.
The message in the communication bead was very simple, with only one sentence, “Sir Yang, can we meet?”
It was obvious that Mo Na Ye had already concluded that Yang Kai was involved in the disappearance of the teams transporting resources.
On the Universe Fragment, Yang Kai hesitated for a moment upon receiving Mo Na Ye’s message, originally intending to ignore it. But after giving it some thought, he realised that there was no point in being sneaky about things and decided to confront Mo Na Ye directly. So, he immediately surged his Divine Sense and sent a message through the communication bead.
At the same time, inside the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye’s communication bead trembled once again. He quickly immersed his mind in it to investigate, and in the next moment, boundless anger surged within him, almost causing his lungs to explode.
The message in the communication bead was straightforward, consisting of only two words, “Fifty percent!”
Although it seemed incomprehensible at first glance, Mo Na Ye instantly understood Yang Kai’s intention. This bastard was clearly demanding 50% of the resources excavated by the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield. His appetite was simply outrageous!
These resources were mined by the Black Ink Clan and were intended to be transported to the frontline battlefields to enhance the Black Ink Clan’s strength. It was all meant to be used against the Human Race, but now, without any effort on their part, the Humans wanted to take away 50% of them.
Moreover, if the Human Race were to use these resources to enhance their own strength, it would inevitably harm Black Ink Clan.
Mo Na Ye would never agree to such an act of aiding the enemy. If he did, he would forever become a criminal in the eyes of the Black Ink Clan!
The more Mo Na Ye interacted with Yang Kai, the more he found the latter to be difficult to deal with. At this moment, he had formed a new evaluation of him. Yang Kai was shameless beyond all imagination, able to make such outrageous demands without any scruples. It was simply unbelievable!
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Mo Na Ye sent a message to the Territory Lord in charge of the resource affairs, asking him to come over. At the same time, he feigned ignorance and replied, “Sir Yang, what do you mean? Please explain in detail!”
The communication bead quickly trembled, and Yang Kai replied with only two words, “Heh heh!”
Mo Na Ye’s brow twitched, and Yang Kai’s annoying face inexplicably appeared in his mind, causing the anger he had just suppressed to surge up again.
“Sir Mo Na Ye!” The summoned Territory Lord quickly arrived and bowed respectfully.
Mo Na Ye looked up and asked, “How many teams are overdue from the past month?”
“Five, Sir!” Replied the Territory Lord.
“And how many have returned?”
“Also five!”
Five teams had disappeared, and five had returned. This was precisely 50%. Mo Na Ye knew that this was no coincidence, but rather Yang Kai’s intentional doing. His meaning was evident. The Black Ink Clan could refuse his offer, but he would still be able to take 50%!
In fact, if Yang Kai wanted to, there was a good chance he could take the other 50% as well.
This was open bullying!
Facing such a tricky opponent, Mo Na Ye had always been patient and avoided confronting him head-on because he knew that Black Ink Clan had no way of dealing with Yang Kai at the moment.
In terms of strength, both he and the Royal Lord were stronger than Yang Kai, and if they were to fight it out in a one-on-one fashion, they could easily suppress him.
However, if they couldn’t kill Yang Kai, all hostility towards him would be meaningless. The Divine Spirit Ancestral Land was a great opportunity to kill him as the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array blocked the entire space, leaving Yang Kai with no place to use his greatest strength. It was the best opportunity the Black Ink Clan had to kill him.
It was a pity that Di Wu had messed things up. Not only did the Black Ink Clan lose many Innate Territory Lords, but even Di Wu was killed.
The Dao of Space… was undoubtedly the most troublesome Grand Dao for the Black Ink Clan!
Apart from Mo Na Ye and Royal Lord, none of the other Masters on the Black Ink Clan’s side were a match for Yang Kai. 3,000 years ago, Yang Kai was capable of slaughtering Territory Lords as easily as chickens, but at that time, he still needed to use his strange Soul Secret Technique to achieve such remarkable results. Now, 3,000 years later, Yang Kai’s strength had increased significantly, and Innate Territory Lords were no longer a challenge for him. Even if they formed a Battle Formation, Territory Lords might not be able to do much against this menace.
How could Mo Na Ye not be cautious in the face of such an opponent?
The whole reason why they had made peace with the Human Race back then was also because of this. In the current situation, Yang Kai’s had become a nightmare that the Black Ink Clan could not contain. Since that was the case, they could only place their hopes on the future.
If the Black Ink Clan managed to produce many Royal Lords one day, then the role that Yang Kai could play would naturally be greatly reduced.
Over the years, Yang Kai had been travelling around, his whereabouts elusive, and his reasons unknown.
Mo Na Ye never imagined that one day, this guy would block the No-Return Pass and personally loot resources from the Black Ink Clan.
Although angry and annoyed, he saw the underlying message through the situation’s appearance.
The Human side must be running out of resources; otherwise, there was no reason for a Master like Yang Kai to act like this. For this reason more than any other, Yang Kai’s impudent demand could not be agreed to. As long as the Black Ink Clan held on a little longer, the Human Race would only face more shortages, and even if they had countless rising prodigies, without enough supplies, their cultivation would not improve!
Mo Na Ye was anxiously trying to communicate with Yang Kai through the communication bead while summoning all the Territory Lords of the No-Return Pass.
Within moments, hundreds of Territory Lords gathered in the Main Hall, but this time, the Royal Lord did not appear and only Mo Na Ye stood below the throne of bones.
Although the Royal Lord was absent, Mo Na Ye did not dare to sit on the main throne, which was exclusively reserved for the Royal Lord. As a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he did not have the qualifications to sit there.
Looking at the group of puzzled Territory Lords below, Mo Na Ye stated bluntly, “Yang Kai is currently somewhere outside of the No-Return Pass!”
Some of the more belligerent Territory Lords began clamouring to lead their Armies to surround and kill Yang Kai. The more timid ones turned pale because they had suffered losses at Yang Kai’s hand.
Mo Na Ye took in the expressions of the Territory Lords and continued, “The Human Race doesn’t have enough resources, so now Yang Kai has come to plunder our supply transports! Although the losses are small for now, if this issue is not resolved soon, our resources will probably be cut in half compared to previous years. This will inevitably affect our plans for conquest.”
The noisy Territory Lords instantly quieted down, while a particularly sturdy-looking one cupped his fist and asked, “How should we solve this problem, Sir Mo Na Ye?”
Mo Na Ye declared, “The matter of resources is fundamental to both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. The plundering of ours is a secondary loss compared to helping the Human Race grow stronger. For now, I need you to investigate Yang Kai’s movements and escort the resource transports and their goods back!”
The sturdy Territory Lord then said, “If that’s the case, we have to move in teams capable of assuming Battle Formations. Against that killing star, not forming a Battle Formation would be equivalent to sticking out our necks and letting him chop our heads off.”
Fortunately, in recent years, the Territory Lords of the Black Ink Clan had not been idle and had been diligently practising various Battle Formations. It was ridiculous to say that these Innate Territory Lords were already powerful enough to not fear any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but just because of Yang Kai’s presence, they had to practise these Battle Formations to protect themselves. This was humiliating, but they were left with no other choice.
Mo Na Ye nodded, “Yes, you will all need to form Battle Formations, with Four Symbols Formations being the minimum requirement to face Yang Kai. Only Territory Lords who can form a Four Symbols Formation can perform this task. Those who cannot should not go out for the time being.”
A Battle Formation was not something that could be just casually formed. The Human Race Squads could do this because they grew and developed in a totally different environment compared to the Black Ink Clan. The invasion and oppression of the Black Ink Clan had long made all Human Race Masters sincerely united. Each Squad also had time to become familiar with each other through daily interactions and battles, so no matter when or where, they could easily form Battle Formations as there was innate trust among each other.
It was different for the Black Ink Clan, especially the Innate Territory Lords, as each of them was born strong and naturally had their own arrogance and opinion. They were not willing to fully trust each other and entrust their lives to others, preferring to believe in their own selves above all else.
This wasn’t a surprise though as in the face of danger, the first reaction of most living beings was to protect themselves.
At the time of forming a Battle Formation, the auras of all in the Formation were linked, essentially turning them into a single entity. However, once an individual had the intention to protect themselves over the group, the Battle Formation would collapse.
That was why, when Di Wu led 20 Innate Territory Lords to surround and kill Yang Kai in the Ancestral Land, the Battle Formations they formed were only Four Symbols Formations. It was not because they lacked the numbers, but rather because forcing a more advanced Battle Formation was impossible.
Most of the Territory Lords of the Black Ink Clan could only form the Four Symbols Formation at most, with a select few capable of forming the Five Elements Formation. No Six Paths Formation had ever been formed among them.
In fact, this was not a problem unique to Territory Lords; it was also difficult for Eighth-Order Human Masters to form a Six Paths Formation, though not impossible. So far, the highest record for Eighth-Order Masters was a Seven Stars Formation, which happened during a life-or-death crisis against a Royal Lord.
The higher the individual strength, the more difficult it was to form a Battle Formation. This principle applied to both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan.
For example, back when Yang Kai was Squad Leader of Dawn, he led his Squad members to kill many enemies and once formed a Nine Palaces Formation. However, if he were to try to form such a Formation with other Eighth-Order Masters now, he would not be able to do so.
With the command from Mo Na Ye given, a few Territory Lords relaxed because they could not form a Battle Formation with other Territory Lords at all. Unexpectedly, this lack of competence had allowed them to avoid a potential crisis.
Mo Na Ye then deployed all the Territory Lords who could form Battle Formations into two groups. One group was responsible for searching for Yang Kai’s whereabouts outside the No-Return Pass, with the other was responsible for protecting the squads returning from gathering resources in the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield.
He then said, “The objective this time is not to kill Yang Kai. If you encounter him, prioritise self-preservation!”
After speaking these words aloud, Mo Na Ye could not help but feel a sense of helplessness deep down in his heart. Faced with a Master like Yang Kai, he actually unconsciously gave up the idea of killing him.
Now, he only hoped that the Acquired Territory Lords would grow up soon. As long as more Royal Lords appeared in the Black Ink Clan, the threat that Yang Kai posed to the Black Ink Clan would be greatly weakened!
The Territory Lords then dispersed quickly, following Mo Na Ye’s previous assignments. They dared not be careless, forming Four Symbols and Five Elements Formations immediately after leaving the No-Return Pass and quickly dispersing as they headed towards the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield.
Back in the Main Hall, Mo Na Ye looked at the more than 10 Territory Lords who remained, furrowing his brow slightly before waving his hand, “Be vigilant against any potential attacks from Yang Kai!”
“Yes!” The Territory Lords then left with their orders.
After leaving the Main Hall, Mo Na Ye headed straight towards the High-Rank Black Ink Nest belonging to that Royal Lord. Ever since Mo Na Ye had been entrusted with the affairs of the No-Return Pass and the entire Black Ink Clan after his ascension to the rank of Pseudo-Royal Lord, the Royal Lord frequently stayed inside this Black Ink Nest and rarely ventured out.
It was only because he had received the news from the clansmen inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction a few days ago that the Royal Lord made an appearance to deliver good news to the many Territory Lords.
Standing before the Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye sighed inwardly. Despite having arranged for clansmen to track Yang Kai’s movements and protect the teams carrying resources, their enemy was Yang Kai. No matter how meticulous the arrangements were, they were simply not secure enough.
In front of the Territory Lords, Mo Na Ye pretended to be resolute and unwilling to give up anything, but he knew that if Yang Kai really had his sights set on Black Ink Clan’s resources, they would not be able to stop him.
At present, the Black Ink Clan seemed to be flourishing, but there was a simmering danger as the Human Race grew stronger bit by bit, gradually narrowing the gap in power between the two sides. Mo Na Ye had long felt a strong sense of crisis brewing in his heart.
He could only hope that there would be some pleasant surprises from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction soon.
Meanwhile, a female Feudal Lord, who was a personal attendant to the Royal Lord of relatively low cultivation, came out of the Black Ink Nest and greeted Mo Na Ye, “Sir Mo Na Ye, please come in!”
Mo Na Ye nodded and followed the Feudal Lord into the Black Ink Nest.
Soon, they saw the Royal Lord using the Black Ink Nest to communicate with the outside world. Mo Na Ye waited quietly without disturbing him, knowing that the Royal Lord was probably speaking with those inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
After a while, the Royal Lord withdrew his consciousness from the Black Ink Nest Space, and Mo Na Ye noticed a hint of joy in his expression. He understood instantly that there might be some pleasant surprises from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
He didn’t ask too much as the Royal Lord would say if he wanted to. Instead, he just respectfully bowed. The Royal Lord sat down and asked, “What’s the matter?”
He knew Mo Na Ye wouldn’t come to see him without a specific reason. Since Mo Na Ye was here, it must be a matter of importance. Mo Na Ye immediately summarized Yang Kai’s raid on the Black Ink Clan’s resources outside of the No-Return Pass and told the Royal Lord about Yang Kai’s demand for a 50% share. Hearing this, the Royal Lord was infuriated, and his good mood was instantly ruined.
“Impudence! How dare he make such a request! We already compensated him with a large amount due to the Ancestral Land incident, yet he is still not satisfied!?”
Mo Na Ye understood that the Human Race was lacking in resources while the Black Ink Clan had plenty, so naturally, Yang Kai came to Black Ink Clan to take advantage of them.
After allowing the Royal Lord to vent his anger for a while, Mo Na Ye continued, “Sir Royal Lord, I have ordered the Territory Lords to search for Yang Kai’s whereabouts and also ordered escorts for the transport teams. However, Yang Kai is proficient in the Dao of Space and his combat strength is extremely high. Even if the Territory Lords form Battle Formations, they may not be able to match him if they encounter him.”
The Royal Lord pondered for a moment before saying, “You must personally take action and find an opportunity to kill him!”
Mo Na Ye shook his head and replied, “I have considered this option, but if I leave the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai may find an opening to infiltrate. What if he comes to the No-Return Pass and targets the Black Ink Nests?”
These words made the Royal Lord’s face darken. 3,000 years ago, with him standing guard, the Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass would still be safe, but after Yang Kai emerged from his long retreat and revealed his strength, the Royal Lord knew that he alone could not protect all the Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass.
During these 3,000 years, Yang Kai’s strength had increased that much.
“Furthermore…” Mo Na Ye considered and said, “Due to the Ancestral Land incident, our Black Ink Clan suffered significant losses. If we anger him again this time, the situation may be difficult to contain.”
They wouldn’t know how many resources they would have to offer up if the situation reached that point.
Upon hearing this, the Royal Lord abruptly turned his head and glared at him, “Our Black Ink Clan has so many rising talents, yet we can’t even deal with one damn Human!?”
The wrath directed at him frightened Mo Na Ye who immediately lowered his head and replied, “It is all due to my incompetence!”
The atmosphere in the Black Ink Nest became tense as Mo Na Ye suppressed his aura while the attendants who lived in the Black Ink Nest also held their breaths.
After a while, the Royal Lord said, “Create another Pseudo-Royal Lord and let him secretly guard the No-Return Pass with me while you deal with Yang Kai!”
“Create another Pseudo-Royal Lord? But, Sir, the number of our Innate Territory Lords has decreased greatly. If we create another Pseudo-Royal Lord…” Mo Na Ye was startled by the suggestion.
In fact, he had discussed this matter with the Royal Lord before. Although the creation of a Pseudo-Royal Lord represented the loss of more than 10 Innate Territory Lord and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest, as long as it was for an appropriate purpose, it would still be useful for the Black Ink Clan.
However, as Mo Na Ye said, after thousands of years of battles, the number of Innate Territory Lords in the Black Ink Clan had decreased sharply and was now quite low. Not to mention that every High-Rank Black Ink Nest sacrificed was a heavy blow. In the grand scheme of things, it was not suitable to create too many Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Both Di Wu and Mo Na Ye were Pseudo-Royal Lords created because of Yang Kai’s existence.
Unexpectedly, because of this killing star, the Royal Lord actually had the idea to create another Pseudo-Royal Lord. If this continued, the number of Innate Territory Lords in the Black Ink Clan would continue to decrease sharply.
“Rest assured, it won’t cause any major problems if we only create one more,” said the Royal Lord calmly.
Mo Na Ye was initially stunned, as this was different from the Royal Lord’s previous attitude towards creating Pseudo-Royal Lords. However, thinking about the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction’s situation, Mo Na Ye suddenly realised something and immediately accepted the order, “I will arrange it immediately!”
The Royal Lord snorted, “When the new Pseudo-Royal Lord is created, you go and deal with Yang Kai directly. Try to provoke him as much as possible and make him come to the No-Return Pass. I will wait for him here with the new Pseudo-Royal Lord!”
“Yes!” Mo Na Ye couldn’t help feeling a little excited. If the Royal Lord’s strategy worked as planned, they might really have a chance to take down Yang Kai.
Shortly after, a dozen or so Territory Lords stationed at the No-Return Pass were once again summoned. Learning that the Royal Lord was asking them to perform Source Fusion, the Territory Lords had mixed feelings.
They had originally been left at the No-Return Pass to avoid the risk of facing Yang Kai because they couldn’t meet the requirements of the Battle Formations. However, they did not expect that they could avoid Yang Kai but not the orders of the Royal Lord!
The Source Fusion Technique was extremely dangerous, with fewer than 1 in 10 being able to survive it. Who could guarantee that they would be the one to live?
The birth of the first two Pseudo-Royal Lords had already sacrificed 25 Innate Territory Lords. Could they be so lucky to avoid sacrificing themselves?
It was as the saying went for the Human Race, “Fortune and misfortune walk hand in hand”.
However, the Royal Lord’s order had been given, and they were powerless to disobey it. Under Mo Na Ye’s supervision, 12 Innate Territory Lords entered a High-Rank Black Ink Nest and began to perform the Source Fusion Technique.
One by one, the auras of the Innate Territory Lords disappeared as the Black Ink Nest shook incessantly.
Several days later, when the last remaining Territory Lord’s aura had completely merged with the Black Ink Nest, a new Pseudo-Royal Lord was born.
Meng Que!
Mo Na Ye stayed at the No-Return Pass for another month, allowing Meng Que to familiarise himself with his new strength before he rushed out into the depths of the void.
During this month’s time, the Black Ink Clan lost eight teams that were transporting resources, a significant increase compared to the month before!
The response from the Black Ink Clan seemed to have completely removed Yang Kai’s apprehensions. Previously, half of the teams were allowed to return, but now they had almost all been wiped out!
A few days later, in the depths of the void, Mo Na Ye met with four Territory Lords who had been maintaining a Four Symbols Formation. They had clearly experienced a great battle recently, but it had ended almost as quickly as it began. There were many bodies of Black Ink Clan Soldiers left behind, but the four Territory Lords remained unharmed.
Seeing Mo Na Ye, the four exhausted Territory Lords finally had the opportunity to catch their breath as maintaining the Four Symbols Formation consumed a great deal of their focus and energy. Though it was manageable for a short time, these four Territory Lords had not dared to relax once since leaving the No-Return Pass. No one knew when the Human killing star, Yang Kai, would appear. If they did not maintain the Battle Formation at all times, they might die the moment he mysteriously showed up.
“Sir Mo Na Ye!” The four Territory Lords saluted apologetically.
Mo Na Ye looked around, frowning, “He didn’t fight you?”
The dead here were just some ordinary Black Ink Clan soldiers, and the four Territory Lords had no wounds on them, which was obviously suspicious.
The four Territory Lords glanced at each other, and the leader sighed, “He moves stealthily, and we find it difficult to predict when he will appear.”
Mo Na Ye nodded in understanding. If Yang Kai didn’t want to fight, they could do nothing about it, so he instead asked, “What about the resources?”
The Territory Lord who had spoken before looked even more ashamed, “It was originally with me…” After meeting with the team transporting the resources, he took the Space Ring which contained them.
“And then Yang Kai took it from me.”
Mo Na Ye frowned again, “How did he take it from you if he did not come face to face with you?” The Space Ring was so small and could easily be kept close to the body. Unless Yang Kai had completely incapacitated them, they should not have been easily robbed.
The Territory Lord hung his head, “I handed it over!”
Mo Na Ye’s eyes narrowed in response, staring fiercely at the Territory Lord, who explained in a frightened voice, “Yang Kai locked us with his Divine Sense and threatened to kill us even if it meant damaging his Soul if we didn’t hand it over. So…”
“So you just gave it to him!?” Mo Na Ye roared furiously.
“Please punish us, Sir!” The four Territory Lords looked terrified.
They had no choice. It wasn’t that they were cowardly, but when Yang Kai locked them down with his Divine Sense, the immense sense of danger forced them to make that choice. At that moment, they had no doubt that Yang Kai had the ability to kill them!
Mo Na Ye took a deep breath. Though he was angry, he knew that it wasn’t the Territory Lords’ fault. Anyone in such a situation would have had trouble putting their lives aside.
In the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, Yang Kai had killed Di Wu and eight Territory Lords who formed Battle Formations. If he could do that, then killing a mere four Territory Lords would not be an issue.
The Four Symbols Formation was powerless to stop Yang Kai’s killing spree, but it would force him to use his bizarre Soul Secret Technique that harmed both himself and others.
Mo Na Ye was not ignorant of this fact, but the Battle Formation that the Territory Lords of the Black Ink Clan could form was limited to this degree, and he couldn’t demand more from them.
However, judging from the current situation, Yang Kai did not want to use his Soul Secret Technique recklessly, probably because he did not want his Soul to be injured.
So, after coercing the Territory Lords to surrender their resources, he simply withdrew.
Mo Na Ye was correct in his assumption. In Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai would strike every 2 years, and only with the assistance of many other Eighth-Order Masters and the bulk of the Profound Nether Army could he kill several Innate Territory Lords. At that time, he did it to build up his fearsome reputation and pave the way for subsequent negotiation plans. Therefore, Yang Kai was not reluctant to damage his Soul at that time, and each time he attacked, he showed no mercy!
But the current situation was different as Yang Kai was only plundering some resources. Furthermore, he had to rendezvous with Ou Yang Lie and others every 100 years, so if he used Soul Rending Thorns recklessly and severely injured his own Soul by accident, it would greatly affect his subsequent plans.
Otherwise, why would he easily spare the lives of those four Innate Territory Lords? Yang Kai also understood that the more Territory Lords he killed, the less pressure the Human Race would face in the future.
The simple reason for all of this was that resources were a more important matter right now.
Killing some Black Ink Clan soldiers didn’t matter much, as the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t care; however, if Yang Kai really killed a lot of Innate Territory Lords, the situation would quickly spiral out of control, forcing the Black Ink Clan’s hand. The issue of resources would also be impossible to resolve once that happened.
At present, everything was done for the sake of resources!
The Black Ink Clan’s response was within Yang Kai’s expectations. The blood feud between the two sides was absolutely irreconcilable, so even if he and Mo Na Ye appeared cordial on the surface, the Black Ink Clan would not simply agree to share half of their resources just because Yang Kai asked.
Therefore, he needed a way to make the Black Ink Clan realise that if they could not meet his demands, the consequences would be unbearable for them. Only then would the Black Ink Clan acquiesce.
Robbing the resource teams returning from the Black Ink Battlefield was the method Yang Kai chose!
If they refused to give him 50%, he would just take everything. Unless the Black Ink Clan did not send teams out to collect resources, they would inevitably face the risk of being robbed. However, if they stopped their mining activities, the Black Ink Clan’s supplies would be greatly affected, which would have a huge impact on their subsequent accumulation of strength as well.
The only thing that slightly surprised Yang Kai was that Mo Na Ye had personally taken action. Was Mo Na Ye not afraid that he would go to the No-Return Pass to destroy those Black Ink Nests now that the defences there were weakened?
In the void, Mo Na Ye sent the four Territory Lords away to continue escorting other supply teams, holding the communication bead in his hand and transmitting his thoughts to it.
However, every attempt was like a stone sinking into the sea, without any response. This made Mo Na Ye grit his teeth in frustration, thinking Yang Kai, that bastard, probably put the communication bead into his Small Universe, a sign he did not want Mo Na Ye to contact him again!
As time passed, messages from various directions deep within the void arrived one after another. Mo Na Ye rushed to each location, but he was always one step too late.
Even with the Territory Lords acting as guards, they couldn’t stop Yang Kai’s raids on their resource teams. One after another, the delivery squads were pilfered clean, with only a few lucky ones managing to escape unscathed.
With each secret battle they waged, Mo Na Ye experienced how difficult Yang Kai was to deal with. Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and his movements were elusive, often raiding the Black Ink Clan in one area of the void before soon appearing millions of kilometres away…
For 10 whole years, Mo Na did not even catch a glimpse of Yang Kai in person, except for one instance when he felt the fluctuations of Space Principles nearby and rushed to the scene, only to find that Yang Kai had already left.
During these 10 years, less than 100 resource teams managed to return from the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield to the No-Return Pass.
To exploit resources, the Black Ink Clan dispatched a massive number of teams to the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield on mining missions. The demand for resources was not just a problem for the Human Race, but also for the Black Ink Clan. In some respects, the Black Ink Clan’s demand for resources was even greater than the Human Race’s.
At least 100 teams were expected to return each year, but now, after 10 years, less than 100 had done so, the rest had been looted by Yang Kai. This was not just a loss of 50%, but a staggering 90%.
While the casualties in each individual raid were not significant, that did not mean they weren’t adding up over time. Additionally, although no Territory Lords died, a number of Feudal Lords were slaughtered and the loss of critical resources was becoming serious.
For 10 years, Mo Na Ye had been searching for Yang Kai’s whereabouts in the void, constantly trying to intercept or contact him, but he had never succeeded. What made him even more frustrated was that Yang Kai showed no intention of going to the No-Return Pass. Originally, in the Royal Lord’s plan, when Mo Na Ye joined the hunt, Yang Kai should be tempted to head to the No-Return Pass and threaten the safety of the Black Ink Nest, thus forcing the Black Ink Clan to agree to his unreasonable demands.
If Yang Kai had done so, the Royal Lord and Meng Que could have had a chance to ambush him. As long as they could entangle him, the Territory Lords could set up the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array to prevent this killing star from escaping.
But over the past 10 years, Yang Kai only wandered the void, never coming within 10 million kilometres of the No-Return Pass. This left Mo Na Ye feeling defeated, like he was punching with all his strength only to hit a wad of cotton.
If Yang Kai never went to the No-Return Pass, what was the point of sacrificing a dozen Territory Lords and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest to create Meng Que, the new Pseudo-Royal Lord?
Faced with such a cunning and cautious opponent, who also possessed extraordinary strength and means like Yang Kai, Mo Na Ye felt incredibly frustrated.
Deep within the void, Yang Kai concealed his aura and manipulated Space Principles, almost merging his body with the Void. The Demon Eye of Annihilation penetrated through space as he silently observed the scene a million kilometres away, where a squad transporting goods had just been plundered by him and four Territory Lords forming a Battle Formation were stationed.
Shortly after, Mo Na Ye arrived in a hurry and asked about the situation, his face dark and gloomy.
The same routine, the same result. Yang Kai intimidated the Territory Lord who had the Space Ring with his Soul Secret Technique, forcing him to hand over the goods or he would kill them all. This happened countless times over the past 10 years, and it always succeeded.
It was not that the Territory Lords were cowardly, but they had no choice when facing certain death.
Of course, Mo Na Ye had an idea about how to overcome this dastardly move; he simply had to order the Territory Lords to not comply. If Yang Kai really used his Soul Secret Technique and killed the Territory Lords, he would not be better off. He would have to find a place to heal for the next two or three years.
But this approach was only a temporary solution. Sacrificing Territory Lords would not solve the problem, and when Yang Kai recovered, he would surely come back again.
There were not many Innate Territory Lords in the Black Ink Clan to sacrifice, so it was better to let them use the Source Fusion Technique, at least they could contribute to creating a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
In other words, this ‘solution’ simply wasn’t feasible…
Mo Na Ye felt completely defeated. He was stronger than Yang Kai, and in terms of intelligence and cunning, he was not inferior by much; however, he was still forced to dance to the opponent’s tune as Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques were an insurmountable obstacle.
At this moment, Mo Na Ye suddenly brightened up and quickly took out a communication bead. As he felt a slight vibration from this little bead, he almost cried out.
For 10 years, he had been trying to contact Yang Kai but had never received a response. Unexpectedly, today, exactly 10 years later, Yang Kai contacted him.
Mo Na Ye’s Divine Sense surged as he checked the message transmitted through the communication bead. It was a simple message, “Fifty percent!”
Mo Na Ye’s anger rose rapidly, but he forcibly suppressed it and tried to reply calmly, “Sir, Yang, you are too greedy.”
Yang Kai’s response came quickly too, and it made Mo Na Ye feel uncomfortable, “Over the past 10 years, what percent of your mined resources made it back to the No-Return Pass?”
Mo Na Ye roared inside, [Aren’t you the one who knows that best!?]
Less than 100 out of roughly 1,000 teams have returned, so at best a paltry 10%. This had made it so that those currently sourcing for resources outside dared not easily send resources back and could only stay at the mining sites and wait for the No-Return Pass to resolve Yang Kai’s matter before making further arrangements.
“This King does not want to cut off all diplomatic ties. Over the years, I have never laid a hand on any of the Territory Lords, only taking a few meagre resources. I hope that the Black Ink Clan can also understand the greater good and the overall situation. Only through sincere cooperation between the two sides on this matter can there be mutual benefit and mutual gain!”
Looking at the words transmitted through the communication bead, Mo Na Ye’s face twitched uncontrollably. He had interacted with many Humans before, but he had never seen anyone so shameless before.
The resources were gathered by the Black Ink Clan, with the Humans contributing nothing at all. Yang Kai was just going around robbing them, and now he had the audacity to talk about righteousness and sincere cooperation for mutual benefit…
How could Mo Na Ye not understand his intentions? All these grandiose words were just a thinly veiled threat.
The implicit meaning in his words was that if the Black Ink Clan did not ‘understand the greater good and the overall situation’, he would continue to loot until they capitulated. By then, the losses for the Black Ink Clan would only be more devastating.
Mo Na Ye thought he had understood Humans well enough, but today he realised that his so-called understanding was only scratching the surface.
A Human Race Master with such a formidable reputation could be shameless to this degree, it was truly eye-opening!
Mo Na Ye was so angry that he actually threw his head back and laughed out loud. He wanted to say something cutting, but was afraid of provoking Yang Kai, so he did not know how to respond.
While he was hesitating, Yang Kai sent another message, “Sir Mo Na Ye, this King has already been benevolent towards the Black Ink Clan. Please don’t force my hand. These years, I have never gone to the No-Return Pass. Compared to the High-Rank Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass, a few resources are nothing in comparison. You should be able to discern the difference in weight, right?”
Faced with such an open and blatant threat, Mo Na Ye not only did not get angry, but instead felt a sense of relief that Yang Kai had finally taken this step.
The reason he left the No-Return Pass was to give a false impression to Yang Kai that there was only one Royal Lord on guard now, and he had a chance to destroy the Black Ink Nests!
Unfortunately, for the past 10 years, Yang Kai had never appeared outside of the No-Return Pass and had been constantly looting the resource squads, causing the Royal Lord’s initial plan to fail.
It wasn’t until today that Yang Kai finally revealed intentions of using the Black Ink Nests to threaten the Black Ink Clan.
Mo Na Ye was secretly delighted and quickly replied, “Yang Kai! Some things can be done once or twice, but not thrice! You have trespassed into the No-Return Pass twice and destroyed many Black Ink Nests, but if you dare try this again, I, Mo Na Ye, will never let you go!”
The message was sent out, but there was no response after a long time of waiting.
A million kilometres away, Yang Kai carefully observed each change in Mo Na Ye’s expression and began making plans in his heart…
He had thought about going to the No-Return Pass to threaten to destroy some Black Ink Nests and force the Black Ink Clan to meet his demands and had even taken action for this purpose.
Over the past 10 years, he had secretly investigated the No-Return Pass several times; however, with his increasing mastery of the Dao of Time, his sensitivity to future crises had become much higher.
This sense had helped him avoid some dangers during his last rampage in the No-Return Pass, and it was the same now.
Every time he approached the No-Return Pass, the idea of destroying Black Ink Nests would unconsciously bring a sense of peril, as if there was a great danger hidden within the No-Return Pass that could threaten him!
This puzzled Yang Kai greatly. Mo Na Ye had gone to the depths of void for all these years, and only one Royal Lord was guarding the No-Return Pass. According to his current strength, as long as he avoided that Royal Lord, the No-Return Pass would be his to enter and exit as he pleased. With the No-Return Pass being such a large area and the numerous High-Rank Black Ink Nests of the Black Ink Clan so scattered, one Royal Lord couldn’t look after all of them.
So, where did this sense of danger come from?
The sense of danger he felt during his last rampage in the No-Return Pass was due to Mo Na Ye hiding in the shadows. Based on his experience from last time, Yang Kai naturally guessed that… the Black Ink Clan had produced another Pseudo-Royal Lord!
Mo Na Ye believed that Yang Kai knew nothing about the situation at the No-Return Pass, but in reality, Yang Kai had been observing secretly to confirm his suspicions.
And Mo Na Ye’s response this time was undeniable evidence of this.
Regardless of whether it was Mo Na Ye when he was still an Innate Territory Lord in the past or the current Mo Na Ye as a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he would always address Yang Kai as ‘Sir Yang’, naturally showing respect to an elite fighter regardless of their hostile relationship.
But this time, Mo Na Ye addressed Yang Kai by his name directly, and his words carried a hidden threat, almost like he was daring Yang Kai to immediately cause trouble at the No-Return Pass. This was not Mo Na Ye’s usual behaviour.
Yang Kai, seeing this, knew that his suspicion was probably correct, there must be a new Pseudo-Royal Lord at the No-Return Pass, lying in ambush with the Royal Lord.
In the void, Yang Kai raised his brow and smiled, finding it quite interesting to engage in this battle of wits with Mo Na Ye. He thus quickly replied, “Just wait and see! This time, this King will not rest until he destroys 10 High-Rank Black Ink Nests!”
After transmitting the message, Yang Kai put away his communication bead and disappeared from sight.
In the distant void, Mo Na Ye also hurriedly put away his communication bead, raised his palm, and a surge of thick Black Ink Strength rushed out, quickly forming a vortex in his palm. Within the vortex, a very delicate and small Black Ink Nest appeared.
This was a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest, which was not yet mature.
Such a Black Ink Nest was not very useful to the Black Ink Clan, but it was perfect for transmitting messages.
Now, the Territory Lords who were searching for Yang Kai’s whereabouts and escorting the supply teams almost all had such a miniature Black Ink Nest, just to facilitate rapid communication with each other.
By summoning this small Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye sent a message to the No-Return Pass, informing the Royal Lord about Yang Kai’s imminent arrival and telling them to prepare.
After doing so, Mo Na Ye also hurried towards the No-Return Pass, secretly praying for a swift victory.
If Yang Kai thought that there was only one Royal Lord guarding the No-Return Pass, he would surely make a mistake, and if the Royal Lord and Meng Que teamed up, they only needed to entangle him for 10 breaths so the Territory Lords could activate the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array. Once the Grand Array was formed, Yang Kai would be trapped like a cornered beast, without the ability to use Space Principle’s to flee, Yang Kai would only be a slightly stronger Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, incapable of facing all the elites of the Black Ink Clan.
[After years of entanglement, is it finally time to determine the winner and loser of our little game?] Mo Na Ye suddenly felt like he was dreaming.
However, he had only made it halfway back when he suddenly stopped and hastily summoned the miniature Black Ink Nest. As his Divine Sense poured it to investigate, his face turned pale in an instant.
The message from the Black Ink Nest was too bizarre to believe at first, but after verifying it a few times, he confirmed that he had indeed read it correctly.
Standing there, his expression fluctuated for a moment before he turned and flew in another direction.
Half a day later, he arrived in a spot in the void and appeared before four Territory Lords who had formed a Battle Formation.
“Sir Mo Na Ye!” The four Territory Lords were overjoyed to see him as if they had seen their saviour.
“What happened?” Mo Na Ye asked in a deep voice.
One of the four Territory Lords immediately recounted their encounter with Yang Kai, which was actually quite simple. They were escorting a supply team back to the No-Return Pass when Yang Kai suddenly appeared…
Over the years, they had encountered Yang Kai several times, but he had never attacked them directly; instead, he attacked the Black Ink Clansmen who were transporting materials, killing mostly low-rank soldiers. For the four Territory Lords, Yang Kai mainly used his Soul Secret Technique as a threat, forcing them to compromise and hand over the resources.
Under threat of imminent death, the Territory Lords had no choice but to comply. As a result, every time Yang Kai made a move, he was able to gain something.
But this time, Yang Kai not only slaughtered the Black Ink Clansmen transporting the materials, but also injured the four Territory Lords, one of whom was seriously wounded.
Mo Na Ye was not angry after listening to this, but rather pleasantly surprised, “He used his Soul Secret Technique?”
Yang Kai often used his Soul Secret Technique to intimidate Territory Lords, but he had never actually activated it before.
Mo Na Ye even suspected that Yang Kai was just bluffing this whole time.
Mo Na Ye had intended to prevent the Territory Lords from compromising at all costs, but he knew that even if he issued such an order, the Territory Lords would find it difficult to hold out in a life-or-death crisis.
Losing the materials was a small matter, but losing Territory Lords was a serious blow.
But if Yang Kai had used his Soul Secret Technique this time, it meant that he would enter a period of retreat and recuperation for the next 2 or 3 years. This would undoubtedly be his weakest time, and if they could find his whereabouts, the situation would be promising.
However, to Mo Na Ye’s surprise, the four Territory Lords looked embarrassed and shook their heads in unison. The speaking Territory Lord cried out, “He did not!”
Upon hearing that, Mo Na Ye’s joyous expression instantly disappeared, and he frowned, “If he didn’t use his Soul Secret Technique, how did he manage to injure all of you like this?”
The four Innate Territory Lords had formed the Four Symbols Formation, making it impossible for Yang Kai to pose a substantial threat to them without using his Soul Secret Technique. Although Yang Kai was strong, he was not yet strong enough to break this Formation forcibly. Even Mo Na Ye would have to work hard to injure the four Territory Lords who were united in this Formation.
The expressions of the four Territory Lords became even more embarrassed and they stammered, not knowing how to explain; however, Mo Na Ye had already figured it out at that point and asked with a stern face, “Did you break the Battle Formation yourselves?”
Only then could Yang Kai pick them off one by one.
The Territory Lord who spoke earlier shamefully admitted, “Yes! It’s just that maintaining the Four Symbols Formation consumes our mental strength, and although there was no problem in the short term, it’s been 10 years now… We find it difficult to maintain the Battle Formation at all times, so…”
In fact, it wasn’t just these four Territory Lords, other Territory Lords who had formed Four Symbols and Five Elements Formations also encountered similar problems. Maintaining the Battle Formation for a long time put a heavy burden on their minds, so sometimes they would break the Battle Formation to disconnect their auras and let themselves recover a little.
How could they have known that Yang Kai would take advantage of this opportunity to attack them? If they hadn’t been on alert and quickly formed the Battle Formation again after Yang Kai appeared, they might have suffered more than just injuries.
The Territory Lord cautiously peered at Mo Na Ye’s expression, thinking that he would be severely reprimanded for their failure; however, all Mo Na Ye did was sigh, “It was my carelessness.”
He thought that their operation against Yang Kai would not take too long, but he never expected that it would take 10 years and still not produce any results. If Yang Kai could injure four Territory Lords in just 10 years, what about another 10 or 100 years?
It was as the saying went, “One need not fear a thief who always steals, they should fear the thief who constantly thinks of stealing.”
When Mo Na Ye first heard this, he did not understand, but now he finally did.
[Yang Kai, that thief! You are truly my eternal nemesis!]
[That bastard even vowed to destroy 10 High-Rank Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass, but all he did was go against his words and injure four Territory Lords. I was a fool to have believed anything he said.]
It appeared that Yang Kai had seen through the arrangements at the No-Return Pass, which was why he had never gone there but instead wreaked havoc out here in the void.
“Send a message to the other Squads and tell all Territory Lords to be careful. Yang Kai could strike at any time,” Mo Na Ye ordered, remembering the lesson from these four Territory Lords as he believed that Yang Kai would strike again.
Then, the four Territory Lords followed Mo Na Ye’s order and took out their miniature Black Ink Nests to spread the word.
To prevent Yang Kai from wheeling around and finishing the job, Mo Na Ye personally escorted these four injured Territory Lords back to the No-Return Pass. One of them was severely injured and even though he could barely manage to maintain the Battle Formation with the other three, they were still at risk of being targeted and defeated. For safety reasons, it was best for them to not expose themselves outside anymore.
Mo Na Ye’s compassion moved the four Territory Lords to tears of gratitude.
Only when they arrived at the No-Return Pass did they feel safe. Mo Na Ye then went to see the Royal Lord to share his suspicions.
When the Royal Lord heard that Yang Kai might have already seen through the trap set up at the No-Return Pass, his face grew dark and his anger was almost palpable. They had sacrificed a dozen Innate Territory Lords and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest to create Meng Que, a Pseudo-Royal Lord, all to lure Yang Kai to the No-Return Pass and eliminate him.
But if Yang Kai did not show up, all their plans would be in vain and Meng Que would be useless.
“Sir, the more time passes, the more detrimental it will become to the Black Ink Clan. There are no longer many supply squads that can return to the No-Return Pass. Besides, the Territory Lords are already exhausted from maintaining the Battle Formation for such a long time, and they may not be able to hold on much longer.” Mo Na Ye reported carefully while observing the Royal Lord’s reaction.
“Why!? Why can’t we deal with one Eighth-Order Human!?” The Royal Lord exclaimed in anger.
Mo Na Ye was speechless upon hearing this. If they had a way to deal with Yang Kai, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be in such a difficult spot in the first place. This Human was not someone they could defeat with brute strength alone.
After some contemplation, Mo Na Ye said, “Sir Royal Lord, please be prepared. This time, our Black Ink Clan may really have to make sacrifices to quell the situation.”
The Royal Lord turned to him and glared, “Are you suggesting that we agree to his ridiculous demands?”
Mo Na Ye shook his head and replied, “It’s impossible to agree to his demands for 50%. Those resources were painstakingly extracted by our Black Ink Clan, while he did nothing but threaten us with despicable means. He is out of his mind if he thinks he can take half of all our hard-earned resources; however, if we give him too little, he may not agree either…”
The Royal Lord waved his hand impatiently, “It’s up to you to decide. Don’t bother me with this matter anymore.”
Just hearing Yang Kai’s name gave the Royal Lord a headache. How could a Human like him exist? He would rather fight Fu Guang, a real Divine Dragon, than hear Yang Kai’s name ringing in his ears again!
Then, Mo Na Ye nodded respectfully before withdrawing in embarrassment.
As a subordinate, he should not burden the Royal Lord, but instead, he felt the humiliation of being incapable of resolving the issue at hand.
However, there was no other solution to the current problem. Yang Kai had been causing trouble for the past 10 years, plundering 90% of their resources while holding the Territory Lords of the No-Return Pass in check. Even Mo Na Ye himself had been running around in circles all these years, with nothing to show for his efforts.
If this chaos continued, the Territory Lords would likely collapse from exhaustion, and once that happened, the losses that followed would far exceed a few measly resources.
After some contemplating, Mo Na Ye decided to contact Yang Kai using his communication bead to discuss the matter. However, before he could do so, he summoned his miniature Black Ink Nest and inspected a new message that was just sent to him. Letting out a sigh after seeing this message, he hurriedly rushed towards the depths of the void.
Another four Territory Lords who had formed a Battle Formation were ambushed and injured by Yang Kai, losing all their resources in the process.
When Mo Na Ye arrived at the scene, he realized that the situation was much worse than he had expected. The injuries to these four Territory Lords were not too serious as they had been on guard and immediately formed the Four Symbols Formation to protect themselves after the ambush.
However, after a more careful inspection, Mo Na Ye was startled to find that two of the Territory Lords had identical injuries, just a finger’s length left of their heart. This position was not a fatal wound for a Black Ink Clan Master, but it still made Mo Na Ye frown.
Was this intentional, or just a coincidence?
If it was unintentional, everything would be fine, but if Yang Kai had done this deliberately, it was a worrying issue.
If this was Yang Kai’s doing, it was undoubtedly a message that said he could kill one or both of these Territory Lords but chose to hold back to not escalate the situation further.
This was his way of showing both his sincerity and his determination.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t help a wry grin from appearing on his face. This guy came to the Black Ink Clan trying to take the lion’s share, plundering the Black Ink Clan’s resources, and yet he was still showing ‘sincerity’.
What was he trying to do, earn profit by being friendly? But the wealth he would be earning belonged to the Black Ink Clan.
“Sir Mo Na Ye,” a Territory Lord walked over and handed him an item with caution, “We found this after Yang Kai disappeared. It should be something he left behind on purpose.”
Mo Na Ye turned to look and recognized it as a Universe Chart from the Human Race, but why would Yang Kai leave such a thing here?
Mo Na Ye was puzzled, so he took the Universe Chart and immersed his Divine Sense to investigate it. After a moment, he let out a long sigh.
Yang Kai deliberately left this Universe Chart here for no other reason than to further threaten them.
When Mo Na Ye inspected the Universe Chart, he easily identified many locations that were highlighted. When he projected this onto the real Black Ink Battlefield, it was not difficult to see that all of the marked positions were staging points for the Black Ink Clan’s mining operations.
There were hundreds of these marked positions, which meant that Yang Kai had already found most of the locations where the Black Ink Clan was gathering resources. If he wanted to, he could just go to those places directly, wipe out the Black Ink Clan soldiers, and take all the resources for himself!
If that happened, the Black Ink Clan’s source of resources would be greatly reduced. It should be noted that there were no elites guarding those places. Faced with a killing star like Yang Kai, the low-rank clansmen could not resist at all.
[How did he manage to do all this and still raid so many of our convoys?]
Mo Na Ye couldn’t figure it out at all. Yang Kai had been plundering resource squads everywhere for the past 10 years, yet he somehow found the time to investigate these mining outposts where resources were being exploited as well. It had to be noted that each of these locations was no less than a few million kilometres away from each other, which would take a significant time to travel between.
Mo Na Ye could only sigh and think that Space Secret Techniques were truly unparalleled when it came to mobility. The distances that seemed far away to others were nothing to Yang Kai. This was what allowed him to gather so much information in a mere 10 years.
The markings on this Universe Chart were like the wounds on the two Territory Lords, both a threat and a sincere gesture…
Mo Na Ye understood everything and became crestfallen.
Even if he had achieved the status of Pseudo-Royal Lord, he was still defeated by Yang Kai in this confrontation. Both he and the Black Ink Clan were defeated. Yang Kai alone had disrupted the Black Ink Clan’s entire operation on the Black Ink Battlefield despite them going all out to stop him. In fact, for the past 10 years, they hadn’t so much as wounded Yang Kai, and now, after all that, they still had to compromise!
“Let all the Territory Lords return to the No-Return Pass,” Mo Na Ye said, feeling dejected.
The four Territory Lords were surprised as one of them asked, “Sir, what about Yang Kai?”
“I’ll talk it out with him.”
The Territory Lords exchanged glances upon hearing this and understood what Mo Na Ye meant. Although they were relieved that they no longer had to be on edge every day, each Territory Lord’s heart was still shrouded in thick humiliation.
Soon after, the Territory Lords departed.
Mo Na Ye stood in the void, took out the communication bead, and played with it in his hand as if he was pondering something.
A moment later, he suddenly turned his head and saw a figure standing nearby while looking at him with a smile and cupping his fist in greeting, “Sir Mo Na Ye!”
Mo Na Ye’s face twitched. [This bastard is truly daring! He’s actually been hiding nearby all this time and even dared to appear in front of me like this!]
He couldn’t help but have the immediate urge to attack, but this thought was like a wave in the storm that quickly dissipated.
There was no way Mo Na Ye could kill Yang Kai here, and if he tried, it would only worsen his position.
“Sir Yang, your skills are truly impressive!” Mo Na Ye saluted him, unsure whether he was being sarcastic or sincere.
Yang Kai shrugged it off while smiling, “From the looks of it, you have made a decision, yes?”
Mo Na Ye lowered his brow and muttered, “The matter of resources has been fully entrusted to me by Sir Royal Lord.”
“Very good,” Yang Kai smiled and declared, “My proposal from last time is still valid.”
Mo Na Ye immediately shook his head vigorously like a rattle-drum, “Sir Yang…” He paused, then continued, “We’ve known each other for many years now, and as you Humans say, you don’t truly know someone until you’ve fought them. Although we’re on different sides, I admire you greatly and calling you Sir seems a bit formal. How about I call you Brother Yang?”
“What should I call you then? Brother Mo? Those from the Black Ink Clan don’t have surnames, right?”
Mo Na Ye said solemnly, “Only the Royal Lord has the qualification to use Mo as a surname. For example, our current King is Mo Yu. Those beneath the Royal Lord may use their own names and surnames. Brother Yang can just call me by my name.”
(Note: The Mo in Mo Yu and the Mo in Mo Na Ye are different… I know, confusing. Just ignore it, it’s irrelevant.)
Yang Kai nodded lightly as he felt like he had heard a piece of news of some importance.
The Human Race had never figured out the name or surname of the Royal Lord and didn’t know how to address him. Fortunately, there was only one true Royal Lord in the Black Ink Clan right now, so they always addressed him as ‘the Royal Lord’. Unexpectedly, Yang Kai learned this bit of information from Mo Na Ye today, though it wasn’t of much use.
Mo Na Ye continued, “Brother Yang, 50% is impossible. All the resources are extracted by my Black Ink Clan and transported by us. You haven’t put in any effort yet you want to take away half? Aren’t you being a bit too greedy?”
Yang Kai grinned, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears, “There’s an old saying among us Humans, ‘A big mouth can swallow up the world!’”
Saying so, he even pointed at his face, as if to say ‘Look at how big my mouth is’!
Mo Na Ye rubbed his temple, looking a bit headache-ridden, “Brother Yang, I am sincerely discussing this matter with you today. Please don’t joke around.”
Yang Kai spat disdainfully and also adjusted his expression as he said, “In that case, I want to know how much the Black Ink Clan can offer.”
Mo Na Ye held up a finger, but then curved it and calmly said, “5%!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “Mo Na Ye, you would make an excellent salesman. If it’s only 5% why bother discussing the matter at all? I might as well rob your Black Ink Clan’s supply teams and take 90%. Wouldn’t that be simpler?”
Mo Na Ye shook his head and said, “Brother Yang, why play dumb? Although you have been able to take away 90% of our resources over the past decade, that’s only because we haven’t changed our resource exploitation strategy. But if this continues, we will likely completely give up on the Black Ink Battlefield resource extraction. What will you gain then?”
If this were to happen, it would be a disastrous outcome for both sides. The Black Ink Clan would stop extracting resources from the Black Ink Battlefield, and Yang Kai would naturally not be able to plunder anything.
However, such a situation was impossible…
The resources from the Black Ink Battlefield were indispensable to the Black Ink Clan. They needed these resources to maintain their military advantage and to provide for those within the clan, especially the Acquired Territory Lords. If the supply of resources from the Black Ink Battlefield was cut off, there might not be an immediate impact, but over time, the Black Ink Clan’s overall strength would inevitably decline significantly. This was not something that the Black Ink Clan would be willing to accept.
On the other hand, the Human Race would not be affected in the slightest. It was just that Yang Kai would be restricted from acting. However, now that he was unencumbered, being restricted was not a big deal.
Yang Kai was well aware of this, so he remained unmoved.
As Mo Na Ye realised he couldn’t convince Yang Kai, he sighed and put down his raised finger, “Good, Brother Yang, you can have 10% of our clan’s resources. That should be enough, right?”
“10% is not small indeed,” Yang Kai replied, “But it’s still not enough!”
Mo Na Ye frowned, “Brother Yang, how much do you want? Please be straightforward.”
“I’ll compromise. I won’t ask for 50%, and you won’t offer 10%. Let’s settle on 40%.”
“20%!” Mo Na Ye immediately counter offered.
After some thought, Yang Kai gestured with his hand, “30%! Mo Na Ye, there’s no need to haggle further. 30% is my bottom line. If the Black Ink Clan can’t agree, then there’s no need to continue this conversation.”
Mo Na Ye felt angry at Yang Kai’s domineering approach, wondering if he was there to rob them or just looking for trouble. There was no space for negotiation if he had to put it that way.
However, Yang Kai continued, “All resources gathered from outside should be handed over by the Black Ink Clan. Every 10 years… No, every 5 years, the Black Ink Clan will allocate 30% of everything that they’ve gathered from the Black Ink Battlefield and hand it over to me at the No-Return Pass. If you agree, I won’t obstruct the Black Ink Clan’s resource-gathering operations in the future.”
Mo Na Ye raised his brow at this proposal. If this was the deal, then there would still be room for manoeuvring.
Frankly speaking, the amount and quality of resources returned by each mining team was different, and if they were not carefully inspected, no one would know exactly what was in the shipment. Yang Kai said he wanted 30%, but he couldn’t check all the resources gathered by each squad. Besides, the Black Ink Clan would also not allow him to do so.
Even if they gave him 20% or less, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Of course, if it was too little, Yang Kai would naturally raise objections.
So, when he said he wanted 30%, it was just a euphemism as he probably predicted such skimming would happen in the future.
After a brief pause, Mo Na Ye nodded and said, “If that’s the case, I can agree to Brother Yang’s request.”
“I have another condition!” Yang Kai said.
Mo Na Ye thought to himself that things were never that simple. After dealing with Yang Kai for such a long time, he knew he wasn’t a person to settle for less.
“Please speak, Brother Yang.” Mo Na Ye gestured.
Yang Kai looked past him in the direction of the No-Return Pass and stated firmly, “I don’t want to see any Pseudo-Royal Lords on any of the Great Territory Battlefields!”
[He really guessed it!]
Mo Na Ye was secretly shocked. Meng Que had become a Pseudo-Royal Lord some 10 years ago, but he remained hidden since then. The Royal Lord had originally planned to let Mo Na Ye appear outside to lure Yang Kai into attacking the No-Return Pass; however, Yang Kai had not once done so, as if he had been wary of the trap there.
Mo Na Ye suspected that Yang Kai had figured everything out, but he had no way to verify this. Now, after hearing Yang Kai’s words, he knew that his suspicions were correct.
In addition, Mo Na Ye had planned to let Meng Que continue to lurk after this matter was resolved, working with the Royal Lord to guard the No-Return Pass. This way, Mo Na Ye could leave for the front lines, and the addition of a Pseudo-Royal Lord would be enough to shift the tide on the battlefield.
However, before he could implement this plan, Yang Kai stopped it with just a few simple words.
This should not have been something that could be agreed to easily, but Mo Na Ye did not hesitate at all and said with a smile, “Rest assured, Brother Yang. I have been stationed at the No-Return Pass for many years. Sir Royal Lord has put me in charge of all battlefield affairs. I do not have the spare time or capacity to head to the frontlines.”
The implication here was that there was only one Pseudo-Royal Lord in the Black Ink Clan, which was not the case.
Yang Kai didn’t point this out, nor did he have any thoughts of verifying it. The sense of crisis he had felt during the few times he approached the No-Return Pass over the past 10 years was enough to convince him that the Black Ink Clan had another Pseudo-Royal Lord besides Mo Na Ye.
“In that case, is this matter settled?” Yang Kai asked while smiling.
After some thought, Mo Na Ye replied, “Yes, it is.”
In response, Yang Kai laughed and casually grabbed something from the void and threw it towards Mo Na Ye. Mo Na Ye looked wary, but Yang Kai responded, “I said last time that I would buy you a drink when I come to the No-Return Pass again. This bottle of wine will serve as an appreciation gift for our cooperation.”
Mo Na Ye reached out and caught the bottle, only to find that it was not an artifact or a Secret Technique, just a simple container.
At the same time, Space Principles fluctuated, and Yang Kai had already disappeared without a trace when Mo Na Ye looked up. Although he was constantly monitoring Yang Kai’s movements, he could only vaguely sense the direction in which he left. The exact location was impossible to determine unless he actively chased after him.
This secretly shocked Mo Na Ye. [This bastard’s mastery over the Dao of Space is becoming more and more mysterious. If this continues, who among the Black Ink Clan will ever be able to restrain him?]
Yang Kai’s voice then resounded in his ears, “Today marks the beginning. I will notify you of the location for the exchange of resources in five years. In addition, I have received a lot of resources from your side over the past 10 years and know exactly how much your clan can collect. When it’s time to make the delivery, you better not go too far, or I will find a way to make up the difference myself!”
Mo Na Ye narrowed his eyes and shattered the wine bottle in his hand, causing it to splash out across the void. With a cold snort, he turned and flew towards the No-Return Pass.
Although the Royal Lord had entrusted him with this matter, he still needed to report what had transpired.
The Royal Lord would definitely be furious, but at this point, if the Black Ink Clan wanted to continue to obtain resources from the Black Ink Battlefield, they could only let Yang Kai take advantage of them.
In addition, Mo Na Ye had to put his own plan to head to the battlefield on hold for now. As for Meng Que… he would just continue to stay hidden, and perhaps one day he could play a role.
After dealing with the Black Ink Clan’s affairs, Yang Kai fell silent. The Black Ink Clan knew he was hiding somewhere outside the No-Return Pass, but they had no way of knowing his precise location. Fortunately, he did not appear again to plunder the squads transporting resources, which gave the ordinary soldiers of the Black Ink Clan some peace of mind.
In the depths of the void, Yang Kai concealed his aura and hid his figure.
This battle of wits with Mo Na Ye had ended with his victory. His only regret was that he did not kill a few Territory Lords. In fact, he had the opportunity to kill some of them, but he refrained from doing so as that would only completely enrage the Black Ink Clan and be detrimental to his future plans.
Setting a five-year period was also because there would be too many variables if the timeframe was too long; however, if he contacted the Black Ink Clan too frequently, it would also pose a certain risk to him. If possible, Yang Kai wanted to take inventory of every shipment of resources from each Black Ink Clan mining team that returned to the No-Return Pass and take 30% directly from them, but if he really did that, it would only give the Black Ink Clan many chances to set up their Heaven Sealing Earth Locking’s Grand Array
The reason why he could act arrogantly in front of the many Territory Lords and treat Mo Na Ye, a Pseudo-Royal Lord, as an equal today was because of his mastery of the Dao of Space.
But if he lost this reliance, Yang Kai would only be a slightly stronger Eighth-Order Master.
The Grand Array that could isolate space was his ultimate nemesis, so how could he give the Black Ink Clan so many chances to set it up?
In the desolate and undisturbed void, Yang Kai restrained his mind and silently contemplated the Grand Dao of Space within his body as he allowed time to pass.
When it was time to receive the resources five years later, he sent a message to Mo Na Ye, giving him a random location and then waited silently.
Within half a day, an aura rapidly approached.
Yang Kai turned his head to look only to realise that it was not Mo Na Ye, but rather a Feudal Lord who arrived.
At a distance, the Feudal Lord stopped, shaking in fear as he gazed at Yang Kai.
It was as if the one standing in front of him was not a Human, but an ominous beast that could strike and devour him at any moment.
This couldn’t be helped, as Yang Kai’s name was too intimidating among the Black Ink Clan. Dozens of Innate Territory Lords had already died at his hands, so how could this Feudal Lord dare to face this killing star head-on?
The Feudal Lord cupped his fist and his voice trembled as he said, “I-I am here on behalf of S-Sir Mo Na Ye, t-to deliver the resources to S-S-Sir. P-Please accept them!”
Saying so, he threw out a Space Ring.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and grabbed the Space Ring, pouring his Divine Sense into it to inspect the contents.
There were quite a few supplies, but according to Yang Kai’s estimation, it should be less than the 30% which was agreed upon. It was certain that they had withheld some as the Black Ink Clan would not be so obedient to hand over the full 30% of resources as agreed upon.
However, the amount withheld was not excessive, there was still probably around 25%, so Yang Kai pretended not to notice as he had already anticipated this would happen.
After waiting for a moment and seeing that Yang Kai had no further reaction, the Feudal Lord hurriedly said, “I-If there are no p-problems, I shall report back now.”
After stumbling over his words, he immediately turned around to flee, not wanting to stay here a moment longer.
“Wait!” Yang Kai called out suddenly.
The Feudal Lord froze upon hearing that and turned to look at Yang Kai with a smile, “Is there s-something else, Sir?”
Yang Kai took out a bottle of wine and tossed it over, “Take this to Mo Na Ye.”
Having received benefits from the Black Ink Clan, it was only natural for him to return something in exchange. This was the principle of reciprocity, and besides, Yang Kai had plenty of fine wine in his Small Universe.
The Feudal Lord accepted the bottle and carefully stored it away, but when he looked up again, Yang Kai had already disappeared. The Feudal Lord couldn’t help but shiver as he quickly flew back to the No-Return Pass.
When he arrived, he reported the exchange of goods and presented the bottle of wine; however, Mo Na Ye’s brow just twitched upon seeing it, feeling absolutely disgusted.
Last time, Yang Kai gave him a bottle of wine which he refused to drink and just smashed directly. That time could be considered a private gift from Yang Kai to him which nobody saw, so it didn’t matter; however, it was different this time. The resources were handed over by the Feudal Lord, and it was the first time that they had exchanged goods with Yang Kai. Many in the No-Return Pass were watching this matter closely.
If this matter were to spread, what would the Royal Lord think? What would the other Territory Lords think? It would seem as if Mo Na Ye had a close relationship with Yang Kai, possibly even engaging in some shady deals. If he didn’t explain this matter clearly, how could the Royal Lord trust him in the future?
Mo Na Ye wished he could immediately go out and fight Yang Kai to prove his innocence.
After dismissing the Feudal Lord, he dared not delay. He took the bottle of wine and went to the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest to report word for word what the Feudal Lord said. Fortunately, the Royal Lord didn’t have much of a reaction, he simply acknowledged the matter calmly and dismissed Mo Na Ye.
Mo Na Ye re-affirmed that he could not let his guard down when dealing with such a despicable and shameless person like Yang Kai; otherwise, he would likely be taken advantage of by him.
However, the enmity between the Human Race and Black Ink Clans was deep and unresolvable, so Yang Kai’s little tricks had minimal effect. Though, this simple method of sowing discord could have unforeseen consequences if it was used on someone else not within the two camps, it had negligible consequences between blood enemies.
The soldiers of the Human Race and Black Ink Clans on the frontline battlefield continued to clash, while the No-Return Pass remained as calm as usual. In fact, since the Black Ink Clan captured the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai had either come alone or led a small group of Humans to cause trouble less than a handful of times. Without Yang Kai, the No-Return Pass would have been completely quiet and comfortable, with many Territory Lords who had been severely injured in battle willing to return here and rest in the High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Every five years, the Black Ink Clan sent out the counted goods from the No-Return Pass and handed them over to Yang Kai; however, since the first time they were deceived, no Black Ink Clansman dared to easily accept the fine wine that Yang Kai offered, leaving him helpless.
Each time Yang Kai exchanged goods with the Black Ink Clan, he would simply designate a random location. The void was vast anyway, so if he simply chose a spot at random, he would not have to fear that Black Ink Clan would set him up.
Overall, everything went smoothly, and over the past century, Yang Kai accumulated many valuable resources.
Considering the time, the day was soon approaching that he had agreed to meet Ou Yang Lie and the others.
After receiving a bit less than 30% of the Black Ink Clan’s gathered resources again, Yang Kai hurriedly rushed to the Humans’ resource-gathering site.
Before this, he had left Space Beacons along the way, so it was not difficult to cross this route and search for Ou Yang Lie and the others.
As expected, Ou Yang Lie vented his pent-up anger on Yang Kai as soon as he arrived. He roared about how Yang Kai and Big Head Mi were wasting his talents by sending him here. He also wanted Yang Kai to go back to the Supreme Headquarters and request Big Head Mi to transfer him back to the frontlines of the battlefield.
Only when Yang Kai agreed to make the request did Ou Yang Lie stop complaining.
Over the past 100 years, tens of thousands of Human Race cultivators had been mining and gathering resources in this region. This place was deep within the Black Ink Battlefield, far beyond the region where the Royal City used to be. So, even though a century had passed, this area remained peaceful and undisturbed.
This was good news, and it was also what Yang Kai hoped to see. If the Black Ink Clan found traces of the tens of thousands of Human Race Masters collecting resources here, they would have to relocate far away. It was not wise to fight the Black Ink Clan here because these Human Masters’ strength was generally not high, which was why they were sent here to gather resources in the first place. Fighting was not their concern.
After gathering the past 100 years’ harvest, Yang Kai bid farewell to Ou Yang Lie and the others. Then, he connected to the World Tree and used it to guide him into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, then returned to the Star Boundary.
Without delay, he went directly to the Supreme Headquarters and handed over all the harvests of the past 100 years to Mi Jing Lun.
After examining the items, Mi Jing Lun was greatly surprised and couldn’t help asking, “When did the resources from the Black Ink Battlefield become so rich?”
He had roughly estimated how much the tens of thousands of soldiers could mine in 100 years as he knew the situation in the Black Ink Battlefield very well, having spent over 10,000 years there. However, the amount that Yang Kai brought back was easily triple what he had estimated.
Originally, according to his estimation, the tens of thousands of soldiers could only delay the exhaustion of their supplies, even if they worked day and night to gather and mine in suitable areas. But with Yang Kai bringing back so much, the Human Race’s consumption of resources over the past century was immediately replenished, and there was even some surplus!
This was truly an unexpected delight.
However, he soon thought of something and looked at Yang Kai solemnly, “Did you plunder these from the Black Ink Clan?”
Only the Black Ink Clan could have so many resources; otherwise, there was no way to explain the sight in front of him.
Yang Kai smiled and said, “You could put it that way. I made some agreements with the Black Ink Clan, and from now on, I will receive 30% of what they mine from the Black Ink Battlefield. What I’ve passed to you includes those that were gathered by the Humans and those obtained from the No-Return Pass.”
Mi Jing Lun’s expression became complex. Although Yang Kai did not say how he achieved this, Mi Jing Lun could imagine the difficulties and dangers he faced.
If it weren’t for the fact that the Black Ink Clan had no choice but to agree due to certain circumstances, how was it possible for them to agree to Yang Kai’s outrageous demands?
Moreover, Yang Kai acted alone, so how did he manage to make the Black Ink Clan agree to his terms? Over the past 100 years, Yang Kai must have faced a lot of life-or-death crises…
Mi Jing Lun felt a complex mix of emotions as he thought about how the heavy burden of hope for the entire Race was placed on one person’s shoulders.
After taking a breath, he dropped to one knee to show his respect!
Yang Kai was taken aback and quickly helped Mi Jing Lun up, “Senior Brother, what are you doing?”
Mi Jing Lun, however, refused to stand up as he quickly replied, “This Senior Brother, on behalf of the trillions of Humans, thank you, Junior Brother!”
That made Yang Kai feel embarrassed, “Senior Brother, you’re taking this too seriously. I was born Human too, and many of my friends and family are fighting against the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield. This is just what I should do.”
After helping Mi Jing Lun up forcefully, he changed the subject, “Senior Brother, how is the situation between the two sides?”
“It’s still the same as before. No major changes.”
On the various Great Territory Battlefields, newcomers from both sides constantly emerged, while many elites also died on the battlefield. In this tense and hostile environment, having high qualifications didn’t necessarily guarantee one would reap the most benefits. High qualifications only represented great potential. To gain more strength, one must first survive on the battlefield, only then would they be capable of seizing their own future.
The Human Race was not lacking in talent, but time. The first batch of good seedlings who directly ascended to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm had now reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but to ascend to the Ninth-Order, they still needed time to accumulate heritage and hone their skills.
As for the old Eighth-Order Masters like Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie, they had already reached their limits due to their initial potential and would never ascend to the Ninth Order.
On the other hand, Xiang Shan and Wei Jun Yang, who were a few of the eligible veterans to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, were still in retreat, and no one knew how they were doing or if everything was going smoothly.
Breakthroughs were matters that outsiders could not help with; they could only rely on themselves.
Yang Kai silently prayed that someday when he returned, he would be able to receive good news.
Without staying long at the Supreme Headquarters, after his brief exchange with Mi Jing Lun, confirming that the situation between the two sides would not worsen in the short term, Yang Kai set out again, heading to Black Territory to use the secret passageway and rush back to the Black Ink Battlefield.
Every five years, the No-Return Pass sent out a batch of resources, while Ou Yang Lie and others worked for 100 years before delivering their harvest. Over the long years, Yang Kai shuttled back and forth through the void alone, bringing one batch of resources after another from the Black Ink Battlefield to the Human Race to use for their cultivation.
With Yang Kai’s efforts, the Supreme Headquarters no longer had to worry about resources as the amount he brought back every 100 years was enough to fulfil their needs.
During this period, Yang Kai also took the time to go to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to investigate the situation. The battle there was extremely intense, but thanks to Wu Kuang’s cooperation with the Suppressing Black Ink Army, the gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had never expanded. Those from Black Ink Clan that could rush through the gap were greatly suppressed in both quantity and quality.
As a result, the 6,000 soldiers of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, coupled with the various arrangements of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress and Divine Dragon Fu Guang who was assuming command, were able to maintain the status quo.
However, even after so many years of slaughter, there was no sign of decline among the Black Ink Clan within the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. It was truly frightening as no one knew how many of them were lurking in the area and how many Black Ink Clansmen would emerge in the end. It seemed as if they could never be eradicated.
Now, the entire outside of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was covered by the Black Ink Clouds formed by the Black Ink Clansmen after their deaths. If it weren’t for the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress having its own protection against the invasion of Black Ink Strength, even just dealing with that dense Black Ink Strength would be enough to give the Suppressing Black Ink Army a headache.
Yang Kai also learned from Fu Guang that a few Royal Lords inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had attempted to break out, but most had failed. The few Royal Lords who had successfully emerged all suffered serious injuries in the process, making them no match for a Divine Dragon that was lying in ambush for them.
Over the years, an impressive eight Royal Lords had died by Fu Guang’s claws.
When it came to who killed the most Royal Lords over the past thousands of years, it would undoubtedly be Fu Guang. There were precedents where Ninth-Order Old Ancestors had successfully killed Royal Lords on the Black Ink Battlefield, but no Ninth-Order Old Ancestor had ever killed as many Royal Lords cumulatively. It was just that Fu Guang’s impressive battle record was due to special circumstances, so his achievements could not be replicated.
Under Wu Kuang’s full control, the gap that was opened in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction could only allow Territory Lords to pass through safely. The same could not be said for the Royal Lords.
The only consequence of forcing their way through the gap was being injured by the Grand Restriction as well as suffering bombardment from the Suppressing Black Ink Army. Accordingly, none of the Royal Lords who charged out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction came out intact. Most of them only had 70% of their strength left, so how could they survive against a Master like Fu Guang?
Wu Kuang paid a heavy price for this feat though. Although he was now a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he needed to exert all his strength to control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. For that reason, even his cultivation had been set aside. When Yang Kai came to ask him about the situation, he only spared a few words before cutting off their contact, apparently worried that he might make a mistake that would lead to irreparable damage.
The situation at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was stable for the time being, so there was nothing for Yang Kai to worry about. In reality, there was nothing he could do either.
He even took the time to travel to the Chaotic Dead Territory and delivered a generous amount of Five Elements materials to Zhang Ruo Xi. Although he left some for her last time, that was only enough to last 1,000 years. Now that several hundred years had passed, she had probably exhausted most of them already.
Having not seen Ruo Xi for so many years, the increase in her strength was very obvious. Compared to when she first advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, her aura had undoubtedly become several times more substantial. The reason behind everything was the continuous refinement of her Heaven’s Order Bloodline and the increase in the heritage of her Small Universe. That was especially true for the latter reason.
Ordinary cultivators had to refine a full set of Seven Elements materials to maintain balance in their Small Universe, but Zhang Ruo Xi had the help of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, so she only needed to refine Five Elements Power while pure Yin and Yang were simply supplied directly to her. As a result, her cultivation period was reduced by some 30% compared to ordinary cultivators.
Both Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan attached great importance to Ruo Xi’s cultivation. Over the years, they had been encouraging her to cultivate the Five Elements materials without the slightest pause.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi herself had the kind of character that could endure great loneliness and hardship. Knowing that she would only shine brightly in the upcoming war if she became stronger, she had doubled her diligence over the past few years. In this way, it was only natural for her strength to grow in leaps and bounds.
In the blink of an eye, 1,000 years had passed since Yang Kai reached an agreement with Mo Na Ye to receive 30% of the cultivation resources from the Black Ink Clan.
Over the past 1,000 years, Yang Kai not only travelled to the Chaotic Dead Territory and the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but also the No-Return Pass. He had ferried the resources gained by the Human Race Masters from various places to the Supreme Headquarters, perfectly acting as a delivery man, providing the best guarantee for the cultivation of the Human Race Masters.
When Yang Kai was weak, months and years seemed like an extremely long time, but now that he was stronger, 1,000 years was nothing to be bothered about. Especially considering the war between both Races had lasted for hundreds of thousands of years
Yang Kai had not been actively cultivating over the recent years, but he would still take time to contemplate the Grand Daos of Space and Time during his downtime. Even so, he had reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
His Small Universe had been expanded to its limits and he could clearly perceive the invisible shackles surrounding it, restricting him from further improvements to his strength. These were the inherent shackles produced by the Open Heaven Realm method. Aside from the Heaven’s Order Bloodline that Zhang Ruo Xi carried, which allowed her to ignore these shackles, nobody had ever succeeded in breaking these bonds since ancient times.
Inside the Main Hall of the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye was reading various reports regarding the front lines. One of the battlefields had suffered a strong attack from the Human Race and experienced heavy losses recently, so the number of troops there needed to be replenished. The Territory Lords of another battlefield had been slaughtered, so more Masters needed to be transferred over…
Recently, he could clearly sense that the battle between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race had become more fierce. That was not just caused by the continuous development of the situation, but also the increasing number of Masters among the two Races.
After so many years, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and the Territory Lords were no longer comparable to when the invasion of the 3,000 Worlds began. The more Masters there were, the more fierce the battles became.
Mo Na Ye had a vague feeling in his heart that the current situation between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race would not last for much longer. When the Masters of both Races reached a critical number, or some external factor was triggered, the flames of war would fully erupt and engulf the entire Universe.
Mo Na Ye had been helping Royal Lord Mo Yu manage the affairs of the Black Ink Clan for many years now, so he naturally knew how to deal with the situation at hand. The only thing that troubled him was the other Pseudo-Royal Lord, Meng Que.
Ever since Meng Que advanced to become a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had been restless and anxious, wanting nothing more than to slaughter the Human Race Masters to prove his strength. Fortunately, the Royal Lord did not allow him to act. Leaving aside their agreement with Yang Kai, it was problematic for a Pseudo-Royal Lord to appear on the battlefield. Even without the agreement, Meng Que was one of the Black Ink Clan’s hidden trump cards, so how could they reveal their hand so easily?
Slaying a small number of Human Race Masters would not affect the larger picture, so Meng Que should only reveal himself during a critical situation. It would be best if he could reverse the power balance between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race in one fell swoop, which would lay the foundation for the success of the Black Ink Clan.
Besides, Mo Na Ye suspected that there were new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among the Human Race. Take Xiang Shan for example. It had been many years since he disappeared. Even if Meng Que made an appearance, the Humans might not be helpless against him.
Mo Na Ye had considered the best interests of the Black Ink Clan and Meng Que, but Meng Que refused to understand his kindness, becoming more and more presumptuous over the years. When the Royal Lord forbade him from leaving the No-Return Pass, Meng Que had the brilliant idea of splitting authority instead.
Therefore, Mo Na Ye couldn’t help feeling a headache. A dozen Innate Territory Lords had performed the Source Fusion Technique, so why did Meng Que have to succeed?
Mo Na Ye prided himself on being able to see the bigger picture while not being blinded by authority and power. Everything he did was for the sake of the Black Ink Clan to one day dominate the Universe; hence, he naturally refused to split his authority with Meng Que. Having handled the affairs of the Black Ink Clan for so long, Mo Na Ye knew better than anybody about the difference between one compared to two people issuing orders. Fortunately, the Royal Lord favoured Mo Na Ye. Faced with Meng Que’s many requests, Mo Yu only focused on soothing Meng Que and did not actually promise the latter anything.
It was just that Meng Que had hung around, and his nonsense was very grating on the ears. Mo Na Ye tried his best to ignore Meng Que’s rantings as he conveyed order after order, until one day, all of a sudden, wild laughter mixed with joy came from somewhere.
Inside the Main Hall, Mo Na Ye, who was processing various reports, and Meng Que, who was chattering away endlessly, couldn’t help glancing at each other. They both saw the doubts in each other’s eyes.
If their guess was correct… The laughter belonged to the Royal Lord. Moreover, the source of the laughter was the Black Ink Nest where the Royal Lord was currently inhabiting.
Mo Na Ye hurriedly stood up and rushed outside. Not to be outdone, Meng Que hurriedly followed.
The laughter was very hearty, lasting for quite a while. When the two Pseudo-Royal Lords arrived in front of the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, the Royal Lord Mo Yu’s laughter gradually subsided and a voice came from inside, “Come in!”
Mo Na Ye was about to step forward, but Meng Que deliberately took a step ahead and walked ahead of him. Used to this kind of behaviour, Mo Na Ye just quietly followed behind.
Very soon, the two Pseudo-Royal Lords stood before the Black Ink Clan’s true Royal Lord in the depths of the Black Ink Nest.
Meng Que was the first to speak, “Sir, did something joyous happen?”
Mo Yu nodded with a happy expression, “Indeed. Something joyous has occurred.”
He did not explain himself clearly. People generally became cheerful during joyous occasions, and the Black Ink Clan was no exception. Instead, he probed his two closest aides for their thoughts, “Tell me, where does this joy come from?”
Meng Que was stunned and did not know what to say in response. It was true that he was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but he had always been known for his bad temper and straightforward temperament. Wit and intelligence were not his strong points. He frowned and pondered for a moment, then laughed in embarrassment, “Sir, this subordinate can’t think of an answer!”
“Keep thinking and speak whatever comes to mind!” Mo Yu said lightly.
Meng Que tentatively made a guess, “The Black Ink Clan enjoyed a huge victory on the front lines and slaughtered countless Human Race Masters?”
If that was the case, it made sense for the Royal Lord’s cheerful demeanour.
Mo Yu glanced at Meng Que quietly without confirming or denying the statement. Then, he glanced towards the silent Mo Na Ye, “What do you think, Mo Na Ye?”
Mo Na Ye considered the question and replied, “Has progress been made at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Mo Yu laughed, “Correct! You’re as smart as usual, Mo Na Ye. We have indeed made progress at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!”
Mo Na Ye smiled with pride but looked neither smug nor overly humble.
Meng Que instantly became upset and grumbled, “How did you know?”
Mo Na Ye ignored Meng Que and thought to himself scornfully, [It’s so obvious, only a fool like you would not realise the truth.]
Then, he heard the Royal Lord speaking, “Explain it to him.”
Since the Royal Lord had spoken, Mo Na Ye could only obey, “Over the years, the Royal Lord has remained quietly in the Black Ink Nest without taking a single step outside. I have been managing all the affairs of the Black Ink Clan’s war efforts. Under ordinary circumstances, I have refrained from disturbing Sir Royal Lord with matters regarding the front lines. Even if we attained a great victory on the battlefields and slaughtered countless Human Race Masters, the news would reach me first. Since I was not informed of such matters, then it must not be related to the front lines.”
“Moreover, Sir Royal Lord has always remained in contact with those in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. 1,000 years ago, Sir once mentioned that our clansmen were trying to find another gap in the Grand Restriction; hence, the reason for Sir’s joy must be thanks to good news from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.”
Meng Que frowned at the explanation. Although Mo Na Ye had explained the situation clearly, he remained unconvinced.
Mo Yu followed up, “Meng Que, you should learn more from Mo Na Ye. Strength alone is not enough against the Human Race. You need to use your wits. You know what happened to Di Wu back then. Nothing good will come from underestimating the Humans.”
Meng Que calmed down and bowed, “Meng Que will never forget your order, Sir.”
Mo Na Ye asked, “Sir, what was the news you received from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Mo Yu grinned, “A group has succeeded in sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!”
That was extremely sensitive and confidential information. If it were an ordinary Black Ink Clansman, then they naturally had no right to know such information; however, the ones standing here were two Pseudo-Royal Lords, which was why Mo Yu did not bother to hide anything from them.
[Our clansmen have snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?] Thousands of thoughts instantly flitted through Mo Na Ye’s mind, and he soon became overjoyed, “That is certainly something to be celebrated!”
He then paused for a moment before asking, “Sir, are there any Royal Lords among those that snuck out?
Mo Yu shook his head, “You also know the situation in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. With a Human Master overseeing the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, those inside took 1,000 years just to open up a gap wide enough they could exploit. The commotion would be too large if a Royal Lord tried to sneak out and the Humans would definitely notice, so only the Innate Territory Lords managed to escape.”
Mo Na Ye instantly understood the situation. Sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had to be done stealthily so they did not expose their actions; otherwise, the Human Race Master guarding the Grand Restriction might take action and turn their clansmen’s 1,000-year effort into a waste of time.
There were many Territory Lords at present, but the number of surviving Innate Territory Lords was far from their initial numbers back then. After years of fighting, countless Innate Territory Lords had lost their lives on the battlefield. At the moment, less than 10% of the Innate Territory Lords remained compared to their peak!
On the other hand, there was no shortage of Innate Territory Lords inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. If they could sneak out, then they would be a huge boost for the current Black Ink Clan.
“The number that came out is not great, but more and more will soon leave the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction,” Mo Yu added.
Mo Na Ye was a little curious and asked, “Sir, a Human Master is guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, how did our clansmen avoid detection and discovery of the gap?”
He did not doubt the ability of his clansmen in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction; rather, he was worried that all of this might be part of a trap set up by the Human Race. If the Human Master knew that Black Ink Clansmen were sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, he might have simply allowed it to happen after setting up some kind of ambush or counterplan.
After fighting the Human Race for so long, Mo Na Ye had gotten used to considering all possible situations.
Mo Yu glanced at Mo Na Ye approvingly, obviously aware of what the latter was worried about. He thus explained, “As I told you before, the strength of that Human Master is inferior to Cang’s. He is roughly at the level of an ordinary Ninth-Order Master at most. With his strength, he will never be as good as Cang when it comes to monitoring and controlling the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Back then, this Human was foolish enough to open a gap in the Grand Restriction to cooperate with the Human Race Army and that Divine Dragon to intercept and kill all those who rushed out of the opening. Over the past 1,000 years, that battle has never ceased, but that was intentional. Those in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction maintained this situation as, although it resulted in great casualties, it also allowed them to divert that Human Master’s focus. Several Royal Lords were even sacrificed to ensure that the enemy remained unaware of our actions.”
Mo Na Ye immediately understood. If the Human Race Master guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was completely focused on maintaining the gap he opened up, then his vigilance over the rest of the Grand Restriction would naturally weaken considerably. In this way, those inside would have the opportunity to sneak out unnoticed. After 1,000 years of hard work, they finally succeeded in their efforts.
That was definitely a great achievement; after all, they even sacrificed several Royal Lords just to keep that Human distracted… Judging by the situation, this Human’s control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was indeed far inferior to Cang. The Humans should have no knowledge of those who had snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Mo Na Ye immediately felt relieved.
Meng Que listened by the side for some time, then he suddenly spoke up, “Sir, those that came out are unfamiliar with the world outside since they have never left the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Should I go and welcome them?”
He had remained in the No-Return Pass ever since he became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, so he was feeling extremely bored and constricted. The Royal Lord had not allowed him to fight on the front lines, but welcoming some fellow clansmen should not be a problem.
Before Mo Yu could answer, Mo Na Ye snapped decisively, “Absolutely not!”
Meng Que immediately glared at Mo Na Ye and questioned, “Why not?”
Mo Na Ye glanced at Meng Que coldly before muttering, “Yang Kai is currently loitering outside the No-Return Pass. He will definitely notice you if you leave. Once that happens, what would be the point of hiding your existence until now?”
Meng Que opened his mouth but found himself speechless to refute the statement, but that only vexed and annoyed him even more, making him wish he could punch Mo Na Ye at least once.
Mo Yu nodded, “That’s right. Meng Que, it’s not the right time for you to reveal yourself. Besides, those that escaped should not come to the No-Return Pass either…”
Mo Na Ye bowed, “You are wise, Sir. If Yang Kai notices this kind of movement, he will easily realise that something has gone wrong at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. At that time, the Human Army on that side will surely take action to intercept our clansmen or worse, fix the hidden gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The 1,000-year effort of our brethren would all be wasted at that point. Sir, I ask that you send a message to them to rest and recover at a suitable location for now. They need to stay hidden and wait until the timing is right!”
Mo Yu agreed, “Good! But, the No-Return Pass will need to send them some supplies. Most who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction will be heavily injured, so they will need resources to heal. I will leave this matter to you.”
“Yes!” Mo Na Ye received the order and took the opportunity to obtain another miniature Black Ink Nest from the Royal Lord. Then, he used it to communicate with the clansmen living outside.
He generally acted with great caution, and considering that Yang Kai was hiding somewhere outside the No-Return Pass, monitoring the movements here, Mo Na Ye could only rely on the teams that were extracting materials outside to secretly divert some resources if he wanted to avoid arousing Yang Kai’s suspicions.
It did not take long for large amounts of resources to be sent out without notice. At the same time, several Black Ink Clansmen silently left the mining locations where the cultivation resources were being gathered and scattered in all directions across the Black Ink Battlefield.
Meanwhile, a steady stream of Territory Lords began sneaking out from inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Not only was Wu Kuang not strong enough, but he was also being distracted elsewhere; hence, it was difficult for him to detect these hidden movements of the Black Ink Clan.
The Territory Lords who snuck out had no intention of attacking the Suppressing Black Ink Army as that would be meaningless. Such actions would only alert the enemy to their presence. On the contrary, they immediately concealed their auras and took a long detour around the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to gather at designated locations under Mo Na Ye’s guidance.
To avoid the detection of the Human Race Master overseeing the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, only a few Territory Lords would sneak out at a time to prevent making too large a disturbance. They basically maintained a frequency of two or three Territory Lords every month.
Additionally, the Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had to pay a high price. Just as how the gap that Wu Kuang opened up could only allow Territory Lords to leave safely and any Royal Lords trying would be heavily wounded if they forcibly tried, all the Territory Lords who forcibly snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction from the hidden gap suffered injuries in varying degrees of severity.
It was precisely for this reason that Mo Yu had instructed Mo Na Ye to deliver a large amount of resources to these Territory Lords. The Innate Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction brought out many Black Ink Nests with them, but cultivation resources were needed to hatch these Black Ink Nests. Once the Black Ink Nests were hatched, they could enter them in order to treat their wounds while waiting for Mo Na Ye to summon them. In time, they would gather a huge force and deal a critical blow to the Human Race!
Everything took place in secret. The number of Territory Lords sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction gradually increased, but the Human Race remained unaware of the situation.
…..
Outside the No-Return Pass, a Feudal Lord was handing over 30% of the cultivation resources over the last five years to Yang Kai. Yang Kai examined the resources for a moment, then he frowned deeply, “Go back and tell Mo Na Ye… If he dares to deduct my share again, this King will take the resources myself!”
Over the past few years, Mo Na Ye had gotten bolder and bolder. The cultivation resources handed to him were reducing steadily, and the quality was not as good as before; hence, he couldn’t help becoming vigilant. What was the Black Ink Clan trying to do?
Mo Na Ye was a smart person; therefore, he should know the consequences of embezzling resources in such a bold manner. Although the Black Ink Clan had always given Yang Kai less than the agreed 30% of their gathered resources, the quantity and quality that were delivered to him at the beginning were quite generous, but both had been dropping steadily in recent years.
The Feudal Lord replied anxiously, “Yes, I will definitely deliver your message!”
“Scram!” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. The Feudal Lord immediately transformed into a Black Ink Cloud and flew off without delay.
Looking in the direction of the No-Return Pass for a moment, Yang Kai frowned slightly. What was the meaning behind Mo Na Ye’s actions?
He did not believe that the total amount gathered by the Black Ink Clan would decrease over the years. The vast Black Ink Battlefield was an enormous treasure trove, so as long as the Black Ink Clan remained diligent, they would not lack cultivation resources.
[If the same thing happens again, I will personally take action to retrieve my rightful share!]
Turning around, Yang Kai travelled towards the depths of the void. It was already time for the 100-year meeting with Ou Yang Lie and the others.
Over the past 1,000 years, tens of thousands of Human Race cultivators had been gathering resources in the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield. It was thanks to their diligent efforts that the troops on the front lines had sufficient supplies to cultivate, treat their wounds, and kill the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai repeatedly delivered the resources that were either obtained from the Black Ink Clan or gathered by the Human Race cultivators to the Supreme Headquarters. Although travelling back and forth was tiring, he was willing to make the effort; after all, he was the only person with the ability to perform this task.
Speeding towards the place where Ou Yang Lie and the others had been operating over the last 100 years, Yang Kai constantly checked for their location with his Space Beacons. After a few days, he realised that Ou Yang Lie and the others were no longer at the same location as 100 years ago.
Yang Kai was not surprised by his discovery though as it was common for them to mine out a region and then move on to the next. Over the past 1,000 years, the tens of thousands of cultivators had already relocated several times under Ou Yang Lie and the other veteran Eighth-Order Masters’ leadership.
For Yang Kai, he could easily figure out their location as long as Ou Yang Lie and the others carried Space Beacons on them. It was not as though he could not find them. Manipulating Space Principles, Yang Kai took a step forward. The world turned upside down, and he appeared next to Ou Yang Lie.
Before Yang Kai had time to greet Ou Yang Lie, he heard a voice in his ears, “Shh…”
He instinctively concealed his aura and turned to look around himself. Then, Yang Kai immediately became more confused. There was no sign of other people in the area, much less the lively scene he expected where tens of thousands of cultivators were scattered nearby to diligently mine or gather cultivation resources.
Ou Yang Lie seemed to be the only person here; nevertheless, he was acting extremely cautiously, as though he was guarding against some kind of danger.
Ou Yan Lie was currently located on a small Universe Fragment, one that was barely the size of a small mountain. Similar Universe Fragments could be found everywhere on the Black Ink Battlefield. Moreover, he was sticking close to a pit so that his body sank inside completely. Once his aura was concealed, he would not be found unless someone probed this Universe Fragment very carefully.
[What is he doing?]
“Look over there!” Standing next to Yang Kai, Ou Yang Lie sent a Divine Sense message while pointing in a certain direction.
Yang Kai turned to look where he was directed, and what entered his vision at a glance was a dead Universe World. He could not tell how long the Universe World had been dead, with its World Force long gone. Even the Universe World’s Grand Dao had collapsed and withered away for who knows how many years.
An abundance of Universe Worlds in similar conditions could be found scattered across the Black Ink Battlefield. In the distant past, these Universe Worlds might have either been prosperous or contained countless living creatures. Unfortunately, they were dead and lifeless now. For both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, the only value left in these Universe Worlds was the opportunity to obtain various resources that remained in them.
Needless to say, what Ou Yang Lie wanted to point out to Yang Kai was not the Universe World itself but something that could be found in the Universe World instead. It turned out to be a special existence that resembled a small mountain surrounded by dense Black Ink Strength, towering several thousand metres high into the sky. The structure seemed deeply rooted in the World, almost as though integrated with the Universe World itself.
[A Black Ink Nest!?] Yang Kai’s eyes shrank at the sight.
What stood in the middle of the dead Universe World was none other than a Black Ink Nest here! Moreover, judging by the size of the Black Ink Nest and the density of the surrounding Black Ink Strength, it was at least a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, but more likely a High-Rank Black Ink Nest!
[Why is there a Black Ink Nest here!?] Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering as great confusion inadvertently flooded his heart.
Ou Yang Lie’s voice rang in his ears again, “After our most recent migration, several Eighth-Order Masters and I were investigating the surrounding vicinity when we accidentally came across this Black Ink Nest 10 years ago.”
Not knowing how many Black Ink Clansmen were hidden inside the Black Ink Nest, Ou Yang Lie and the others did not dare to expose themselves; hence, they simply decided to monitor the situation for the time being. Ou Yang Lie was tasked with waiting for Yang Kai’s arrival at this spot while the other veterans brought the resource-gathering team away from this region to continue sourcing materials from other sites.
The wait lasted 10 years; after all, it had always been Yang Kai who took the initiative to approach them while Ou Yang Lie and others had no means to communicate with Yang Kai. For that reason, Ou Yang Lie had been anxiously counting the passing days. It was truly fortunate that Yang Kai had shown up on time.
After observing the Black Ink Nest intently, Yang Kai discovered that it was most likely a High-Rank Black Ink Nest. In all likelihood, the Black Ink Nest lacked the magnificence of a true High-Rank Nest because it was not fully hatched. Furthermore, the Black Ink Strength produced by this Black Ink Nest did not radiate into the surroundings but remained condensed around it as much as possible to prevent any unnecessary waste.
Yang Kai then sent a Divine Sense message to inquire about the situation, “Senior Brother, has the Black Ink Nest been in this condition since you first discovered it?”
Ou Yang Lie gently nodded, “There have been no changes so far.”
“Did you see any Black Ink Clansmen entering or leaving?”
He shook his head, “No.”
This was very strange. Why was a suspected High-Rank Black Ink Nest located in such a remote area? Not to mention, there were no signs of Black Ink Clansmen entering or leaving the premises. Had the Black Ink Nest been abandoned by the Black Ink Clan in the past?
That did not make sense either. Black Ink Nests were special existences with extremely strong connections with each other. Even if this High-Rank Black Ink Nest had been abandoned in the past due to some unknown circumstances, the Black Ink Clan would have no trouble finding and retrieving it after so many years.
However, Ou Yang Lie had never seen a single Black Ink Clansman entering or leaving the Black Ink Nest over the past 10 years. In other words, the Black Ink Clan was aware of this Black Ink Nest’s existence but had chosen to ignore it.
It was generally impossible for Black Ink Nests to be empty. There were bound to be some Black Ink Clansmen nearby, either to guard the Black Ink Nest or to gather resources nearby. Contrary to expectations, the Black Ink Nest before them seemed to be completely empty. There was not a single soldier to be seen anywhere.
“Junior Brother, should I investigate the situation inside?” Ou Yang Lie inquired. He had long since wanted to take action, but he had not dared to act recklessly since he did not know what was lurking in this Black Ink Nest. Now that Yang Kai was here, he should have no difficulty investigating the situation inside with Yang Kai’s support.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I’ll go!”
Seeing as the current situation remained uncertain, they had to prepare themselves for the worst. If there was a Royal Lord inside this Black Ink Nest, Ou Yang Lie would only be courting death if he recklessly rushed forward. On the other hand, Yang Kai had enough confidence to escape even if he accidentally ran into a Royal Lord.
Ou Yang Lie nodded at those words, “In that case, I will stand by to provide support, Junior Brother!”
“Be careful, Senior Brother!” Yang Kai warned. Looking in the direction of the Black Ink Nest, he took a step forward and his figure disappeared into the Void.
Regardless of the circumstances, it was a given that they had to understand the situation inside the Black Ink Nest. Since the decision was made, then there was no need for further hesitation.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared above the Black Ink Nest under Ou Yang Lie’s watch. A huge and dazzling Great Sun suddenly leapt into the sky, illuminating the surrounding void in all directions. Despite standing a million kilometres away, Ou Yang Lie could clearly feel the power behind this attack.
Following the appearance of the Great Sun, the sound of a Golden Crow reverberated. The attack landed directly upon the Black Ink Nest, causing a burst of light to erupt throughout the void, illuminating it like the first rays of morning.
The several thousand-metres-tall Black Ink Nest instantly evaporated under the scorching Sun. At the same time, Ou Yang Lie sensed more than a dozen powerful auras flickering into existence from the ruins. He immediately calmed down after he determined the strength of those auras. Although the situation was bad, it was not completely helpless.
More than a dozen Territory Lords were hidden inside the Black Ink Nest, but there were no Royal Lords. With Yang Kai here, there would be no issues so long as there were no Royal Lords!
The thought had only just passed through Ou Yang Lie’s mind when the aura of a Territory Lord vanished from existence…
[How quick!]
In the blink of an eye, one of the Territory Lords died at Yang Kai’s hands. The speed left Ou Yang Lie absolutely flabbergasted. Such killing efficiency was completely beyond his means. Before he could compose himself though, he sensed the aura of another Territory Lord withering away and suddenly felt powerless in comparison. At this moment, he couldn’t tell whether Yang Kai was too strong or the Territory Lords were too weak.
Ou Yang Lie was too far away to perceive the situation clearly. In comparison, Yang Kai stood in the middle of the battlefield and understood everything at a glance.
When his Golden Crow Casts the Sun destroyed the Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai had been on guard against the possibility of a Royal Lord awakening. Fortunately, there was no Royal Lord inside this Black Ink Nest, only Territory Lords. More precisely, there were a dozen or so Innate Territory Lords.
The Golden Crow Casts the Sun was just a probe, so Yang Kai had not planned to achieve much from that attack alone, but not only was the High-Rank Black Ink Nest destroyed under the force of his Divine Manifestation, the dozen or so Territory Lords hidden inside were wounded as a result…
However, Yang Kai soon realised that something was wrong. Not all the wounds on the Territory Lords were caused by his Golden Crow Casts the Sun. Innate Territory Lords were inherently powerful, so even if they suffered injuries from this sudden attack, it did not make sense for their wounds to be so severe.
Realisation struck Yang Kai abruptly. These Innate Territory Lords… were wounded in the first place. They had been hiding inside the Black Ink Nest to recuperate from their wounds, which left them completely unguarded towards his attack earlier. Seeing as they were already injured, the impact of the Golden Crow Casts the Sun had only worsened their condition.
1,000 years ago, Yang Kai had travelled to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and encountered an Innate Territory Lord at his peak. Even then, Yang Kai had managed to kill that Territory Lord in just three moves. He had employed various tricks at the time, but from the results of that clash, Yang Kai estimated he could have slain the Innate Territory Lord within 10 moves without resorting to any deeper strategy.
Now, 1,000 years later, Yang Kai’s strength had improved significantly. At this moment, he was much stronger in terms of cultivation, physique, heritage, and his comprehension of the Grand Dao. Even if an Innate Territory Lord in his prime were to stand before him now, Yang Kai would no longer need 10 moves or special tricks to kill them. He was confident he could slaughter any Innate Territory Lord within three moves now.
Not only were these wounded Territory Lords weakened in the first place, but they were also caught off guard and thrown into confusion after the initial sneak attack. Combined with meeting a killing star like Yang Kai, they were bound to suffer a tragic fate.
Two of the Territory Lords lost their lives in the blink of an eye, and the disturbance caused by their withering auras frightened the other Territory Lords greatly. At that moment, they subconsciously assumed that the one who attacked them was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master! Contrary to their expectations though, their senses told them that their assailant was only in the Eighth Order!
Was the outside world so dangerous!? Since when did Eighth-Order Human Masters become so powerful!? Wasn’t it said that Innate Territory Lords were stronger on average than Eighth-Order Masters?!
If the Territory Lords at the No-Return Pass had faced such a situation, they would have hurriedly gathered together to form Battle Formations to protect themselves. Unfortunately, these Innate Territory Lords had never learned about Battle Formations. They had also never truly fought an enemy before, so their mentality and reaction speed were abysmal. How could they come up with a suitable countermeasure in a state of panic and desperation? They simply followed their instincts and began besieging Yang Kai from all directions.
Black Ink Strength surged violently as World Force stirred turbulently. The silent void instantly became a bloody battlefield.
The spear in Yang Kai’s hand swept out as more Great Suns leapt into the sky and exploded with great force. Furthermore, various Dao Strengths wove together at the tip of his spear. Yang Kai spun an impenetrable net of death around him. The Innate Territory Lords caught in the invisible net struggled and howled like chained beasts, but ultimately, they could not escape the fate of being killed.
In the distance, Ou Yang Lie was stunned by the scene playing out before him. The rapid and consecutive withering of powerful auras left only one thought churning in his head. [How is this brat… so fierce?]
Ou Yang Lie himself was a veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but be that as it may, he felt as though he could barely compare to Yang Kai in terms of strength anymore.
[We are both at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so why is there such a large gap between our strengths? It doesn’t make sense… It doesn’t make sense at all…]
Even if the Innate Territory Lords were wounded, they were not chickens and dogs that could be slain so easily. Faced with Yang Kai’s ruthless assault, the power behind their instinctive counterattacks was not to be underestimated.
If it was any other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even if they managed to seize the initiative, they could not persist for so long under the fierce barrage of attacks that came from all directions if their defences were not strong enough. Unfortunately for the Territory Lords, Yang Kai was different.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Form was only one step away from breaking through to reaching the Divine Dragon Realm; hence, his physical toughness was almost unparalleled. He was perfectly capable of withstanding a few attacks from these Territory Lords that landed on him. As long as he was not subjected to this bombardment for too long, his life would not be endangered in the slightest.
Moreover, the corruption of the Black Ink Strength was completely ineffective against Yang Kai. With no fear of Black Ink Strength and equipped with impregnable defensive abilities, he only needed to bring out his strongest killing moves as quickly as possible to end the fight.
For the most part, Yang Kai traded equal blows with the Territory Lords. It was just that the outcomes for each party after receiving a blow from their opponent were distinctly different. Yang Kai suffered some shocks after being hit, suffering light injuries at most. In contrast, the Territory Lords basically died on the spot.
In less than an incense stick of time, 10 out of the dozen or so Territory Lords had been killed. It was at this moment that the remaining five Territory Lords finally realised that something was very wrong. Following a furious roar from one of the surviving Territory Lords, the five of them scattered in different directions.
This Eighth-Order Human who appeared out of nowhere was much too terrifying. He was not somebody they could defeat. Under these circumstances, they could only hope that at least one of them could escape to relay word about what happened here to the No-Return Pass!
The sudden outbreak of the battle not only destroyed the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, but also caused most of the Innate Territory Lords hiding within to be killed or injured.
The five surviving Territory Lords were shocked by the sudden turn of events and violently pushed the Black Ink Strength in their bodies, transforming into Black Ink Clouds that fled in different directions.
This Human Race Master was not somebody these wounded Territory Lords could defeat. If they continued fighting him, the only outcome waiting for them was complete annihilation.
“Solidify!” A shout reverberated through the void. The voice seemed to have a certain effect on the Space Principles of the region, causing the local space to become incredibly dense and heavy.
Like flies caught in sticky sap, the five Black Ink Clouds instantly froze in place. They fought and struggled against the restraints around them, moving forward at a snail’s pace as a sense of horror filled their eyes.
While urging his Space Principles, Yang Kai hurled the Azure Dragon Spear. Following an explosive Dragon Roar, the spear pierced through one of the Territory Lords who stood locked in place, causing him to explode into a cloud of blood mist. Then, the Azure Dragon Spear circled back and was caught firmly in the palm of Yang Kai’s hand.
A cracking sound filled the air as the local space shattered. Having realised how dire the situation was, the four remaining Territory Lords had desperately stimulated their power and broken free from Yang Kai’s Space Solidification Technique. Four Black Ink Clouds began escaping again, but most of them were coughing up blood as they tried to run; after all, they had to pay a high price to quickly break free from the restraints of space.
Only after escaping a hundred thousand kilometres in the blink of an eye did one of the Innate Territory Lords take the time to glance behind him. He could not see the Human Race Master anywhere, but before he could heave a sigh of relief, he abruptly noticed something strange ahead of himself and quickly glanced in that direction.
What entered his vision nearly frightened him to death as his mind went completely blank. A figure had mysteriously materialized right in front of him. This figure blocked his path and leisurely stabbed at him with a spear. The aura of death washed over him at that moment.
The Territory Lord let out a furious roar, and the Black Ink Strength in his body swept forward like the raging river. The immense strength of the spear stabbing forward stagnated for a moment; however, the stalemate lasted less than a breath before various mysterious Dao Strengths manifested along the length of the spear, causing the already dense murderous intent to explode violently. The defences formed from the Black Ink Strength that the Territory Lord desperately mobilized were as vulnerable as paper against this attack.
The spear thrust forward before swiftly being retracted as the burst of Black Ink Strength dissipated into nothingness. The Human Race Master was no longer standing in front of him, but the Territory Lord knew that the Human had simply gone to hunt down the rest of his clansmen.
The Territory Lord stood quietly in the void with a look of complete disbelief on his face. [How… How can a Human Master like that exist? I can’t believe he killed so many Innate Territory Lords like he was slaughtering chickens and butchering dogs! Just who is he!?]
His questions remained unanswered. In the last moments of his life, the Territory Lord detected violent energy fluctuations coming from somewhere not far from his current position. These fluctuations were obviously the final resistance of one of his companions. Immediately after that, his body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
Faced with an undefeatable enemy like Yang Kai, dispersing and choosing to flee in different directions had been the best choice; unfortunately, against the strange and unpredictable Space Secret Technique, the Innate Territory Lords would not have had a happy ending even though there was nothing wrong with their tactics.
Yang Kai would have needed to pay a certain price to defeat all of them if they had chosen to rally together and fight to the death; however, he had no trouble killing them without receiving any damage if he was only hunting them down one by one.
A short while later, Yang Kai moved to his last target, only to see Ou Yang Lie fighting one of the Innate Territory Lords. Ou Yang Lie was bombarding the Innate Territory Lord indiscriminately as his World Force surging violently around him. Each attack landed squarely and drew blood, causing the Innate Territory Lord to retreat steadily with a despairing expression.
Out of the remaining five Territory Lords, Yang Kai had killed one on the spot and then hunted down another three. He had ignored the last remaining Territory Lord as the latter had fled in Ou Yang Lie’s direction. Yang Kai was certain that Ou Yang Lie would not ignore this Territory Lord and, sure enough, he was greeted with the scene of their battle as soon as he returned.
Ou Yang Lie had been holding back for too long. It had been over 1,000 years since Big Head Mi dispatched him to protect the resource-gathering team on the Black Ink Battlefield, before which he was essentially living an idle life for thousands of years on the Profound Nether Battlefield. Aside from relocating them from place to place, Ou Yang Lie had remained on guard duty all the time for the past 1,000 years. His days might have been leisurely, but such a boring life was nothing more than a different kind of torture for a combat veteran like himself who lived his entire life on the battlefield.
He had been yearning to return to the fight, and even if he died in battle in some remote corner of the void, it would still be better than living such a tedious and monotonous life. How could Ou Yang Lie possibly take his first battle after several thousand years casually? He was eager to vent all his frustrations that had accumulated over all these years of peace.
Not to mention, his opponent was an Innate Territory Lord. Ou Yang Lie had often suffered at the hands of Innate Territory Lords when the war was still raging in Profound Nether Territory. Every battle would leave him covered in wounds, some of which were even life-threatening. It was only thanks to his strong will and vitality that he survived for so long.
The boredom and depression that had accumulated for several thousand years could finally be released today!
Yang Kai did not step forward to provide support, but simply chose to watch quietly from the side. Under Yang Kai’s gaze, Ou Yang Lie pushed the Innate Territory Lord to the brink of despair until he turned to flee in panic, his black blood gushing out of his wounds.
At that moment, Ou Yang Lie summoned his Divine Manifestation. It was his way of paying tribute to his formidable opponent by unleashing the most ferocious move in his arsenal! The aura of the Innate Territory Lord weakened rapidly until it eventually faded into nothingness!
Ou Yang Lie stood in the void amidst the splattering black blood, enjoying the long-lost sensation of combat, burning murderous intent flooding from his body. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and roared, “Great!”
Sure enough, fighting against powerful enemies was what he desired the most!
Turning around, his gaze landed on Yang Kai’s figure. The fighting spirit that threatened to explode from within his body gradually subsided and he finally raised the question that had been bugging him for some time, “Junior Brother, were they already injured beforehand?”
If the Innate Territory Lord had been at his peak, Ou Yang Lie knew that he could not have killed his opponent with his own strength alone. During the battle, he noticed that the strength displayed by the Innate Territory Lord was seriously compromised, it was far weaker than the other Innate Territory Lords he had encountered in Profound Nether Territory. Thinking back to the battle record Yang Kai displayed earlier, it was only natural for him to come to this conclusion.
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “They were all severely wounded.”
Ou Yang Lie had trouble understanding the situation, “How did they get hurt? Who hurt them? Besides… why were they hiding and recuperating in this random place?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly. Although he had deliberated deeply over the matter, there were simply too many questions about this matter. Leaving aside who had harmed these Innate Territory Lords, the most important question was why they were hiding and recuperating here.
Innate Territory Lords generally preferred sleeping and recuperating from their injuries at the No-Return Pass. Not only were there many High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass, but Royal Lord Mo Yu was also overseeing that place; hence, the security at the No-Return Pass was incomparable to this random stretch of the void.
This incident was a good example. Ou Yang Lie had accidentally discovered the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, and Yang Kai had happened to appear by his side thanks to their agreed 100-year meeting. As a consequence, 15 Innate Territory Lords and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest were destroyed.
Such a loss was not small even for the Black Ink Clan. The Black Ink Clan couldn’t be so careless, especially since the affairs of the Black Ink Clan were currently being managed by Mo Na Ye, who was by no means a fool.
Even ignoring all of these strange points, why would 15 injured Innate Territory Lords squeeze themselves into a single half-hatched High-Rank Black Ink Nest to recuperate from their wounds? This kind of arrangement was extremely detrimental to their recovery speed. The benefits they could obtain would be severely reduced when there were so many of them in one place after all.
“Has there been a schism in the Black Ink Clan? Is that Pseudo-Royal Lord called Mo Na Ye trying to establish his own force?” Ou Yang Lie suddenly wondered out loud. If that was the case, then it could just barely explain why these Innate Territory Lords had been hiding here.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Mo Na Ye… probably has no such intentions, or the ability, for that matter.”
Mo Na Ye was just a Pseudo-Royal Lord with a true Royal Lord like Mo Yu above him. Even if Mo Na Ye had the intention of establishing his own force, the other Innate Territory Lords would never obey him.
From Yang Kai’s long years of experience with the Black Ink Clan, it was undeniable that power struggles existed and some Black Ink Clansmen had their own agendas; however, the Black Ink Clan as a whole was extremely united against external forces. It was impossible for Mo Na Ye to do something stupid like setting up his own force.
What puzzled Yang Kai even more was the origin of these Innate Territory Lords. Where did they come from?
For the last 1,000 years, Yang Kai had more or less remained on guard outside the No-Return Pass because the Black Ink Clan was supposed to hand over part of their supplies to him at regular five-year intervals. Seeing as he generally had nothing more important to do, Yang Kai would generally use his spare time to monitor the movements of the Black Ink Clan at the No-Return Pass.
The only times Yang Kai left his position was when he had to meet with Ou Yang Lie and the others, and he was never gone for long. Most of the time, Yang Kai left for half a month or so. The longest he was away did not exceed one month. Once the supplies were delivered to the Supreme Headquarters, he would return immediately.
During this period, Yang Kai had never detected any Innate Territory Lords leaving the No-Return Pass and venturing deep into the Black Ink Battlefield. It was too far-fetched to believe that these Territory Lords had left the No-Return Pass during his brief absences and came here to treat their wounds. The Black Ink Clan should not have the ability to monitor his movements in the first place, so they had no way of knowing when he wasn’t lurking about.
More importantly, the Black Ink Clan had no reason to do something like this. There were many High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass, so why would these 15 Territory Lords need to hatch a new High-Rank Black Ink Nest in such a remote place? Why would they need to huddle together in such a cramped space?
[Could it be that… these Territory Lords did not come from the No-Return Pass?]
Yang Kai suddenly turned around and flew towards the dead Universe World. Ou Yang Lie did not understand the reason for Yang Kai’s actions, but he hurriedly followed along. It did not take long before the two of them came to the location where the Black Ink Nest originally stood. The area had been transformed into a large crater when Yang Kai previously unleashed the full strength of his Golden Crow Casts the Sun, disintegrating the several thousand-metre-tall Black Ink Nest and blasting away the land around it.
Floating above the crater, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense poured out like the surging tide and he soon made a discovery. With a flash of his figure, he landed at a certain spot and picked something up from the ground.
Standing beside Yang Kai, Ou Yang Lie took a look over his shoulder and made a soft exclamation, “A Seventh-Order Wood Element material… The quality is pretty good… There are more here…”
While speaking, he reached out and grabbed a stone that was the size of a head. The stone glittered with a golden light, and Metal Element Energy surged from within. It was evident that the stone was not an ordinary object.
“A Sixth-Order Metal Element material…” He frowned at the sight.
Yang Kai and Ou Yang Lie found numerous cultivation materials of different Elements in the vicinity; moreover, the quality of these materials was very high. It was clear that these cultivation materials had not come from this Universe World. On the contrary, they had been scattered from the destroyed Black Ink Nest.
These materials had probably been accumulated in the Black Ink Nest. It was just that Yang Kai had arrived before these Territory Lords had the opportunity to utilise these materials. When the Black Ink Nest was destroyed, these materials were naturally scattered in all directions.
Yang Kai and Ou Yang Lie searched the vicinity at random, but in less than half an hour, they found thousands of cultivation materials of good quality and different attributes. It had to be said that these were simply the ones that could be found in plain sight and there were bound to be more which had either been depleted or buried nearby.
Standing in the void, Yang Kai held an Earth Element material in his hand with a deep frown on his face. [How did these Territory Lords accumulate so many cultivation resources? The dozen or so Innate Territory Lords hiding here to treat their wounds did not have any Black Ink Clan troops under their command. In that case, who brought them these materials?]
He then suddenly recalled an incident that had caught his attention recently. The Black Ink Clan had been increasingly excessive in their embezzlement of cultivation resources during their delivery of supplies…
In all likelihood, the No-Return Pass knew about the existence of this High-Rank Black Ink Nest and the 15 Innate Territory Lords here and diverted resources to this place, cutting into his share…
What if the No-Return Pass was not embezzling the resources? What if the number of cultivation resources in their possession was simply that limited? If they were secretly transporting large amounts of cultivation resources away from the No-Return Pass and delivering them to the Innate Territory Lords hiding outside so that they could hatch a High-Rank Black Ink Nest and treat their wounds…
Combined with the dubious origins of these Innate Territory Lords, a certain thought caused a sudden jolt of horror in Yang Kai’s heart. He immediately turned and instructed, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, join up with the others as soon as possible. Be careful to remain in hiding until I return. More importantly, don’t act rashly even if you encounter something abnormal!”
“What did you discover?” Ou Yang Lie asked. Although he had not considered the matter as deeply as Yang Kai, he could instinctively sense that something was very wrong.
Yang Kai replied, “I’m not sure yet, but I have to investigate further.”
After saying so, he vanished from sight with a ripple of Space Principles.
On the other hand, Ou Yang Lie was left with his mouth hanging open. Swallowing the words he had not been in time to speak, he turned around and went to join the other Eighth-Order veterans on guard duty.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai flew forward at a rapid pace. There was no particular target destination in his mind, he was simply carrying out a careful and sweeping search of the general area. If his guess was correct, then the Innate Territory Lords he encountered were not the only ones hiding outside the No-Return Pass. There were likely more of them in other remote places.
The Black Ink Clan was essentially under Mo Na Ye’s command at the moment, and for that reason, Yang Kai and Mo Na Ye had interacted with each other on several occasions. While Yang Kai did not dare to claim that he had a thorough understanding of Mo Na Ye, he was not completely unfamiliar with his enemy either. Therefore, he placed himself in Mo Na Ye’s shoes and considered the matter from the latter’s perspective.
If the truth was as Yang Kai speculated, then the question was simple, what arrangements would he make for the Innate Territory Lords living outside? The answer came to him quickly. He would never allow them to return to the No-Return Pass. That was because Yang Kai was always standing guard outside the No-Return Pass. If these Territory Lords headed to the No-Return Pass, their whereabouts would definitely be exposed.
These Territory Lords with unknown origins were most likely Mo Na Ye’s hidden trump card. In that case, it was only natural to keep them as deeply hidden as possible until they could all be mobilised at a critical moment. Their sudden emergence was bound to catch the Human Race by surprise.
If that was the case, they could not be placed too near the No-Return Pass! Otherwise, their existence might be exposed. After all, Mo Na Ye could not confirm that Yang Kai would remain in the periphery of the No-Return Pass at all times. If Yang Kai was struck by an impulsive whim and arbitrarily decided to wander deeper into the Black Ink Battlefield, he might accidentally discover something.
Combining his speculations with the location of the High-Rank Black Ink Nest he destroyed earlier, Yang Kai quickly found the answer. The ruins of the Royal City of the major Theatres were located quite far from the No Return Pass, far enough that even if he wanted to take a random walk, Yang Kai would not venture this far.
In reality, there was nothing wrong with Mo Na Ye’s arrangement. What he never expected was that the Human Race had a team of tens of thousands of cultivators mining for resources in the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield, much less that Yang Kai’s considerations would coincide with his own. Yang Kai had also dispatched other Humans to search for resources beyond the ruins of the Royal Cities as he assumed it was absolutely safe from the Black Ink Clan’s patrols.
Both sides had assumed that the other would not venture so deep into the Black Ink Battlefield for no reason, so they had hidden their activities in the same place. That was how Ou Yang Lie had accidentally stumbled upon the High-Rank Black Ink Nest while investigating his surroundings! One could only sigh at the irony. It was truly an occasion befitting the saying ‘the calculations of man cannot compare to those of Heaven’.
Despite Yang Kai’s conjectures, trying to find something in the vast void was like trying to find a single shell in a vast sea. He was lucky that his Divine Sense was powerful and he could use Space Principles to rapidly move from one place to another. One month later, his efforts bore fruit.
In a dead Universe World located deep in the void, Yang Kai came across a scene similar to the one he had seen previously. A High-Rank Black Ink Nest was standing there quietly. Furthermore, the High-Rank Black Ink Nest was not fully hatched to avoid any wastage of resources or Black Ink Strength. All the Black Ink Strength was condensed around the Black Ink Nest with no sign of it spreading into the surroundings.
That was part of the countermeasures to conceal the existence of the Black Ink Nest. If the Black Ink Nest had been fully hatched, it would tower many thousands of metres into the sky and the Black Ink Strength surging from it would easily cover the entire Universe World and the surrounding space, making it very easy to spot.
On the contrary, restraining its growth and emission of Black Ink Strength could provide adequate concealment. If Yang Kai had not investigated the area carefully and simply passed by without much care, he might not have discovered the Black Ink Nest.
Thanks to his previous experience, Yang Kai did not show mercy in his actions this time around. He had not been certain whether there was a Royal Lord in the previous Black Ink Nest, so he had only used Golden Crow Casts the Sun to test the waters. This time, he did not hesitate to use his Sun and Moon Divine Seal!
The Space-Time Strength emerged as a giant seal comprised of a Crescent Moon and Great Sun slammed fiercely into the Black Ink Nest. Time and Space warped greatly at the moment of impact, seemingly shredding reality itself in the surrounding region.
Once the full power of the Sun and Moon Divine Seal dissipated, the local Time and Space began to repair itself. The enormous High-Rank Black Ink Nest disintegrated like a tower of sand, and most of the Innate Territory Lords hiding within the Black Ink Nest to recuperate from their wounds were instantly annihilated.
The Sun and Moon Divine Seal was Yang Kai’s strongest single trump card at the moment. Supplemented by his current cultivation at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, even a Pseudo-Royal Lords like Mo Na Ye might not be able to defend against this attack, so what more need be said about a bunch of injured, defenceless Innate Territory Lords?
The Territory Lords who were lucky enough to survive this blow all suffered severe damage to their foundations. Awakening from their deep slumber, they looked absolutely terrified and barely had any time to understand the situation before they were massacred.
The slaughter this time around went much faster than before, with the main reason being that the power of Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Seal was much higher than his Golden Crow Casts the Sun. Many of the Territory Lords were slain before they even caught a glimpse of their attacker, while those who survived were left on the verge of death. The entire process took no more than several dozen breaths of time.
As Yang Kai retrieved the Azure Dragon Spear, there was not a single living being left in his surroundings; however, he did not show the slightest joy on his face. Instead, his expression was extremely solemn.
Compared to finding another High-Rank Black Ink Nest after just one month, he would rather have spent several years searching with no results. If that were the case, then it would have meant that his speculations were wrong and the situation faced by the Human Race would not worsen much further. Unfortunately, looking at the current situation… everything seemed to be heading in the worst direction!
To obtain results in just one month… could not be just because he had been lucky or his search efforts had been careful enough. Looking at the situation from the most obvious perspective, this meant that many Territory Lords were living outside the No-Return Pass. It was precisely because their numbers were so high that Yang Kai was easily able to find them. If he continued his search, Yang Kai was certain he would find even more Black Ink Nests filled with Territory Lords.
[We’re in big trouble!]
It turned out that Wu Kuang was unreliable after all; however, it was not entirely his fault either. Although Wu Kuang was the reincarnation of Shi, who had the qualifications to control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, his cultivation was limited. It was only natural that Wu Kuang could not control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction as well as Cang.
Yang Kai pondered for a while before activating Space Principles and returning along the same route he came with the help of the Space Beacons that he had hidden. It had taken him a month to arrive at this spot, but it only took him a few hours to return and successfully meet up with Ou Yang Lie and the others.
Faced with the inquiring gazes of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai did not know how to explain the situation; thus, he decided not to say anything. He simply opened his mouth and declared, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, please accompany me back to the Supreme Headquarters!”
Ou Yang Lie was startled, but he quickly responded, “Good!”
Yang Kai glanced at the other veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and spoke to them urgently, “Be sure to remain hidden as much as possible during this period. Many Territory Lords are wandering around, though most of them should be recuperating in deep slumber. As long as you remain cautious, you should be safe.”
The rest of the veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nodded in response.
They could not deny that the safest solution at the moment was to send the mining teams back to safety; however, the Human Race needed supplies to maintain the war effort. If the cultivators here were sent back now, then there would be one less channel for the Human Race to obtain supplies in the future. It might not affect them in the short term, but it would be very unfavourable to them in the long term. After all, the resources mined by this team here on the Black Ink Battlefield made up a considerable fraction of the Human Race’s consumption over the past 1,000 years.
Therefore, Yang Kai could only leave them in place despite knowing that it was dangerous. He could only hope that they were careful enough to prevent being discovered by the Innate Territory Lords; otherwise, not many of the tens of thousands of cultivators here would survive the ordeal.
After issuing these instructions, Yang Kai immediately wrapped his power around Ou Yang Lie and connected his mind to the World Tree. The whole world turned upside down, and their field of vision shifted. Under the guidance of a mysterious power, the pair arrived at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
It was Ou Yang Lie’s first time visiting the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but he was in no mood to be curious about his surroundings. He only spared a quick glance at the Old Tree before him in amazement before he questioned solemnly, “Junior Brother, what happened?”
Yang Kai explained, “Something has probably gone wrong at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Many Innate Territory Lords have somehow managed to escape.”
Ou Yang Lie’s expression changed drastically, “Are you referring to the ones we encountered previously?”
Yang Kai nodded.
Ou Yang Lie finally understood the situation, “No wonder they did not head to the No-Return Pass. They were afraid of being discovered by you.”
If Yang Kai had not been lurking around the No-Return Pass, then these wounded Innate Territory Lords would not have remained drifting outside. More than a dozen Territory Lords couldn’t remain crowded in a High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
“Do you have any idea how many more Territory Lords are out there?” Ou Yang Lie probed further.
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s hard to say for certain, but their numbers are definitely low.”
Ou Yang Lie had discovered the first High-Rank Black Ink Nest 10 years ago. Considering the effort required for the Territory Lords to sneak out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, it was most likely that the problems at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction started many decades ago. Who knew how many Innate Territory Lords had escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction over a period of decades?
There was a reason why Yang Kai had associated the presence of the Territory Lords with a problem at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. When Yang Kai had previously sent the Suppressing Black Ink Army to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, he had personally witnessed a Royal Lord breaking through the gap opened by Wu Kuang.
Fortunately, the gap opened by Wu Kuang only allowed Territory Lords to enter and exit freely while a Royal Lord would need to pay a high price to force their way through the gap.
Consequently, the Royal Lord had been covered in wounds even though he managed to emerge from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. That Royal Lord’s strength had been greatly reduced as a result, allowing Fu Guang to swiftly defeat and execute him.
The Innate Territory Lords whom they encountered previously had all been seriously injured, which was certainly thought-provoking. Their conditions were exactly the same as the Royal Lord whom Yang Kai had met in the past, allowing him to make the association.
According to Yang Kai’s speculation, the Black Ink Clan in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were shielded from the outside world, the Innate Territory Lords were incapable of escaping from it unnoticed without paying a heavy cost. Every Territory Lord would suffer deep wounds when they escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and for that reason, the No-Return Pass had gone to special lengths to deliver cultivation resources to them, so that they could rest and recuperate until they were needed in the future!
If Ou Yang Lie had not discovered this issue by chance, the Black Ink Clan would have gathered a massive group of powerful Innate Territory Lords over hundreds or even thousands of years. These Innate Territory Lords would have been enough to alter the situation on the battlefield, and there was a high possibility that they would become a force that would eventually crush the Human Race.
“Senior Brother Ou Yang, I need you to return to the Supreme Headquarters. Contact Senior Brother Mi and inform him about the situation here so that the Human Race can come up with the appropriate countermeasures as soon as possible.”
“Understood.” Ou Yang Lie nodded solemnly, knowing the importance of the matter. The Black Ink Clan had secretly pulled this trick, so if the Human Race did not take the necessary countermeasures immediately, they would likely suffer terrible consequences.
“Also…” Yang Kai thought of something and added, “In the near future, there may be a large number of Pseudo-Royal Lords emerging from the Black Ink Clan. Tell Senior Brother Mi to take more precautions!”
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help shivering at those words. It was only natural that he was aware of the existence of Pseudo-Royal Lords. Purely in terms of depth of cultivation, there was not much difference between a Pseudo-Royal Lord and a true Royal Lord, what was different was their control over their power. The power of a Pseudo-Royal Lord did not come from years of accumulation and cultivation, so even if they had the same power as a true Royal Lord, they could not exert it properly.
Be that as it may, a Pseudo-Royal Lord was not an opponent an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could confront. If it was just as Yang Kai had said, and a large batch of Pseudo-Royal Lords appeared among the Black Ink Clan… What would happen to the Human Race?
Yang Kai’s warning did not come from being an alarmist. On the contrary, his warning had come from the insight that he gained from his understanding of Mo Na Ye’s thought process.
There was no denying that Mo Na Ye was a ruthless and efficient character. He had hidden many Innate Territory Lords in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield and provided them with cultivation resources to heal their wounds. At the same time, he was also prepared to sacrifice them at any moment so that they could join forces to create new Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Yang Kai had successively destroyed two High-Rank Black Ink Nests, both of which contained more than a dozen Innate Territory Lords recuperating inside. Their numbers were essentially equal, so it was obvious that the entire arrangement was not a coincidence but an intentional arrangement on the part of the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai had yet to figure out how the Black Ink Clan precisely created a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but according to the limited information that he possessed, it required the sacrifice of at least 12 Territory Lords and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest. The two High-Rank Black Ink Nests that he destroyed earlier met those conditions; therefore, the Black Ink Clan could implement their plans to create Pseudo-Royal Lords at a moment’s notice.
More than a dozen wounded Innate Territory Lords could easily be killed by a sneak attack from Yang Kai, but dealing with even a single Pseudo-Royal Lord would be extremely difficult. That was the difference between quantity and quality.
The Human Race needed to take precautions against such a possible future!
After sending Ou Yang Lie away, Yang Kai did not remain idle. He threw himself into the World Fruit corresponding to the Universe World that he deliberately left outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Borrowing the power of the World Tree, the space around him warped and the aura of the World washed over him before he emerged outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in the blink of an eye.
When Yang Kai reappeared again, he immediately detected a powerful Divine Sense reaching towards him from afar. It was none other than Fu Guang, who was in charge of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress. After confirming Yang Kai’s identity, he stopped paying attention to him and focused his vigilance on the movements of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Yang Kai nodded in that direction as a greeting before quickly concealing his aura and staring up at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Not much had changed since the last time he came to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The Black Ink Clan Army kept rushing out of the gap that Wu Kuang had opened in the past, while the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress maintained its efforts to wipe out this Black Ink Clan Army. Several Black Ink Clansmen would successfully emerge from the gap from time to time, only for the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Suppressing Black Ink Army to step forward to confront them.
The battle was extremely intense, but be that as it may, the Suppressing Black Ink Army was capable of handling it. They barely even suffered any casualties over the years, with the only real loss being the heavy consumption of cultivation resources.
Yang Kai was starting to understand the whole situation now.
Previously, this whole scenario had confused him; after all, the Black Ink Clan knew the consequences of forcing their way through the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The only consequence waiting for them was death, but if that was the case, why would they continue attacking without fear?
The Black Ink Clan might have held onto the hope of escaping the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for the first few months, or even years; however, 1,000 years had passed yet no progress had been made. How could the Black Ink Clan fail to see the situation clearly after so many years of failure? No matter how foolish the Black Ink Clan might be, they must have been able to understand how much the Human Race had ground down their strength. Even so, the Black Ink Clan had stubbornly chosen to continue their confrontation with the Suppressing Black Ink Army…
Now, it was apparent that they were not stupid, but instead had other plans! The battle at the gap was nothing more than a distraction!
Thanks to the intense battle at the opening, they not only drew the attention of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, but also Fu Guang. Even Wu Kuang, who controlled the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, was preoccupied with the battle. It was something that Yang Kai had noticed during one of his previous times here. All of Wu Kuang’s energy and focus had been devoted to maintaining control over the opening, so much so that he did not even have the time or mood to speak with Yang Kai.
In this way, the Black Ink Clan had secretly opened a passage for Innate Territory Lords to escape at a location where Fu Guang and Wu Kuang would not notice. Fortunately, even though this passage existed, the Territory Lords still had to pay a huge price to escape the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction by force!
[Where is it?] Yang Kai swept his gaze around, his thoughts spinning wildly in his head…
The person the Black Ink Clan was most concerned about here was probably Wu Kuang as he was the one who controlled the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Their efforts over the years would all be in vain once Wu Kuang noticed the slightest abnormality; therefore, the spot they chose to make a second opening had to be somewhere Wu Kuang would not investigate for no reason.
Yang Kai immediately turned and looked in the exact opposite direction of the gap. Under the urging of Space Principles, Yang Kai’s figure seemed to completely melt into the Void.
Inside the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, Fu Guang frowned slightly. Yang Kai had not only arrived silently but also deliberately concealed both his aura and his whereabouts. Those were clear signs that something was not right. Although he did not know the specifics of Yang Kai’s actions, he instinctively sensed that something major must have happened.
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction covered an extremely large area. It was the Grand Restriction that the 10 Martial Ancestors had joined forces to create and the land where Mo came into existence. Even its true body had been sealed within this place. Furthermore, Mo had produced countless Black Ink Clansmen inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. One could only imagine the vastness of the land.
With it being so vast, it was indeed difficult for Wu Kuang to conduct comprehensive monitoring when most of his attention had to be focused on a single spot. What’s more, he mentioned something 1,000 years ago. The Grand Restriction was too ancient, so flaws had naturally developed in it.
When Wu Kuang took the initiative to open the gap, it probably caused tremors throughout the entire Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which the Black Ink Clan probably found a way to exploit.
Half a month later, Yang Kai had silently swept about half of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Unfortunately, he did not discover any abnormalities during his comprehensive search. He did not relax his guard though, for if the anomaly could be found so easily, Wu Kuang would not have been kept in the dark for so long.
Suppressing his impatience, Yang Kai wandered back and forth without aim. A few more days passed before he suddenly detected a strange energy fluctuation coming from a certain spot in the void.
Since he happened to be in the vicinity at the time, he hastily rushed over to investigate the situation. From what Yang Kai could see, there seemed to be a black lump that wriggled vigorously like a living creature in the deep and endless darkness.
The black lump was gradually squeezing its way out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. It did not take long before the black lump broke free. When the pitch-black darkness melted away, a figure was revealed, one of an Innate Territory Lord.
The Innate Territory Lord immediately concealed his aura as much as possible. As he had just escaped the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, his wounds were severe and he did not dare to stay for long, quickly turning in a certain direction to flee.
Yang Kai worked hard to suppress his killing intent. After the Territory Lord gained some distance, he sent a Divine Sense message to Wu Kuang before silently stalking his prey.
Half a day later, the Territory Lord stopped somewhere in the void. His Divine Sense surged as though communicating with someone, then he swiftly travelled in a certain direction. He arrived at an asteroid after some time, where six other Territory Lords had gathered together, each one of them looking extremely weak and tired.
When the Territory Lord arrived at the meeting spot, he finally burst out into happy laughter, “I’m finally out!”
Anybody would be ecstatic to escape from the prison they had been confined to since the beginning of their life. Likewise, the other Territory Lords could not hide their joy either, smiling as they exchanged a few happy words.
Nevertheless, they soon focused their attention, with one of the Territory Lords saying, “We need to wait for a few more of us to come out. Once 15 have gathered here, we will set off for our destination.”
The Territory Lord who arrived last immediately became a little impatient, “Why do we have to wait until 15 of us have gathered here? Won’t we have to wait for a long time, then?”
The Territory Lord who spoke earlier answered, “That’s what the No-Return Pass has arranged for us. We simply need to follow our orders.”
The Territory Lord who came last couldn’t help feeling frustrated, but there was nothing he could do, so he just complained bitterly, “There is neither a Black Ink Nest nor Black Ink Strength here, so we are unable to treat our wounds. Don’t you think just waiting here without doing anything is a waste?”
“The No-Return Pass has already arranged everything for us, so we only need to arrive at the designated place on time. At that point, we will receive everything we could possibly need.”
“I guess that’s our only option!” He sighed heavily.
“I’m afraid you won’t be receiving anything ever again!” A deep voice suddenly sounded behind them. The Territory Lords were stunned for a moment before they all stood up and looked in the direction the voice came from. However, all that entered their vision was a torrential storm of spear shadows.
If it was said that Yang Kai had expended some effort to destroy the Innate Territory Lords hidden within the two High-Rank Black Ink Nests, then slaughtering the Territory Lords gathered here was practically effortless.
The Territory Lords inside the Black Ink Nests had been recuperating for some time, so they had recovered some of their strength. In comparison, these Territory Lords had just escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and each one of them had severely damaged their foundations, so the strength they could exert was less than 30% of their maximum.
Besides, there were only seven Territory Lords here.
After the storm of spear shadows subsided, four out of the seven Territory Lords died on the spot. Among the remaining three Territory Lords, one retaliated in fury while the others immediately chose to flee. Be that as it may, their efforts were futile and it was not long before the auras of all seven Territory Lords were completely annihilated.
Yang Kai frowned and picked up an object from the corpse of a dead Territory Lord. It was a Black Ink Nest the size of a palm, which seemed like it had just been conceived but not yet hatched. If his guess was correct, it was most likely a High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
If everything had gone smoothly, these Territory Lords would have brought this High-Rank Black Ink Nest to a hidden location where they would receive a batch of resources from the No-Return Pass to hatch the Black Ink Nest. After that, they would enter the Black Ink Nest to recuperate from their injuries in deep slumber.
Given the network formed between Black Ink Nests, Yang Kai had the vague suspicion that these Territory Lords could use the Black Ink Nest in their possession to communicate with the No-Return Pass directly.
Holding the miniature Black Ink Nest in the palm of his hand, Yang Kai debated for a long time, but in the end, he abandoned the idea of using it to spy on the Black Ink Clan’s communications.
Turning around, he headed towards the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction instead. He did not head towards the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress but the hole in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and then he concealed himself in the void.
After communicating with Wu Kuang via Divine Sense, he learned that there had been no abnormalities in this area during this period. Thus, Yang Kai settled in and quietly laid in ambush. The same scene as the one he witnessed before finally occurred again 10 days later.
A small dark mass wriggled cautiously in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, employing unknown means to forcibly squeeze its way out. As the darkness burst and dissipated, the figure of an Innate Territory Lord was revealed. The Innate Territory Lord did not linger for long and quickly travelled in the same direction as the Territory Lord from before.
Yang Kai silently followed. Under normal circumstances, he would not have been able to avoid the perception of an Innate Territory Lord from such a close range, especially when the Innate Territory Lord was being extremely vigilant of his surroundings. It was just that this Territory Lord was suffering from such severe wounds that even his senses had become blurry.
Yang Kai followed the Innate Territory Lord in secret until they were far enough from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for it to be impossible for someone to notice them. Only then did he make his move and slaughtered the Innate Territory Lord on the spot.
The Innate Territory Lord was most likely trying to meet up with the previous seven Innate Territory Lords; unfortunately for him, those seven Innate Territory Lords had already been annihilated by Yang Kai, so how could he find them?
In this way, Yang Kai consecutively slaughtered five Territory Lords before he finally stopped two months later.
The situation was dire indeed. There was a reason why Yang Kai did not ask Wu Kuang to repair the gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction immediately and instead chose to monitor the situation in secret. He had wanted to learn how frequently the Territory Lords were escaping from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The results he obtained were both shocking and horrifying! On average, there were two to three Innate Territory Lords escaping per month. If five Innate Territory Lords escaped every two months, then that would mean as many as 30 of them escaped in a year!
According to Yang Kai’s previous estimate, the problem at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction probably started several dozen years ago. A conservative estimate would be 30 years ago. If 30 Innate Territory Lords escaped in a year, that would mean that nearly 1,000 Innate Territory Lords had escaped the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction over the past 30 years. 1,000 Territory Lords was an astounding number, what more if they were all Innate Territory Lords.
Yang Kai felt his heart grow heavy at the realization that his previous speculations were correct. The reason he found the second hidden High-Rank Black Ink Nest so easily was not because he was lucky, but because the Black Ink Clan had many other secret Black Ink Nests scattered across the Black Ink Battlefield.
“It’s a minor issue, so repairing it won’t be difficult. I will also be more careful in the future.” Wu Kuang responded via Divine Sense, but his tone sounded slightly gloomy; after all, nobody would be happy to learn that the Black Ink Clan had been playing tricks right under their nose.
When Wu Kuang claimed that it was a minor issue, he was not referring to the Innate Territory Lords who escaped the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, only the weak spot that the Black Ink Clan had been exploiting. It was his failure to monitor that particular location that allowed the Black Ink Clan to take advantage of his negligence. Now that he discovered the issue, he only needed to make some slight adjustments to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to repair the weakness.
“Please do, if something like this happens again, the Human Race will be doomed,” Yang Kai warned. Although the current situation was not optimistic, the Black Ink Clan did not hold an absolute advantage in the war yet. Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling relieved that Ou Yang Lie had accidentally stumbled upon that High-Rank Black Ink Nest; otherwise, the Human Race would be at risk of extinction if the Black Ink Clan had successfully continued their plans for a few hundred years.
Wu Kuang seemed embarrassed, but did not say anything. He was clearly devoting himself to repairing the flaw in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and it really did not take much effort for him to patch the weak spot.
A moment later, the Human Race Masters in charge of monitoring the movement of the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield from the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress exclaimed in astonishment as though discovering something strange.
The sounds of battle that had rung out incessantly for the past 1,000 years were showing gradual signs of subsiding. Even the Innate Territory Lords, who were fighting the Suppressing Black Ink Army Masters on the battlefield after escaping from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, were starting to retreat and return to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction via the gap.
Half a day later, the Suppressing Black Ink Army Masters stood on the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress and stared blankly at the empty void in front of them.
The battlefield that had been plagued with bloodshed for the past 1,000 years was finally ushering in a rare moment of peace. No other Black Ink Clansmen were charging out from the gap, only countless severed limbs and bits of hashed meat leftover from dead Black Ink Clansmen, along with dense Black Ink Clouds that seemed like they would never dissipate.
Cheers started from a certain location and soon spread throughout the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress like a tidal wave. The soldiers rejoiced, their shouts of ‘Victory!’ ringing out across the void. The volume of their cheers nearly threatened to turn the entire universe upside-down.
The soldiers at the lower ranks seemed to believe that they finally won the battle after 1,000 years. They were certain that the Black Ink Clan in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had realised the strength of the Human Race Army and no longer dared to rear their heads again so easily.
On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters frowned deeply. They initially took the initiative to open a gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction so that they could lure the Black Ink Clan into attacking. Their actions were a measure to reduce the pressure on the next generation; therefore, the sudden withdrawal of the Black Ink Clan could not be considered a good thing.
Nevertheless, the Suppressing Black Ink Army was indeed in need of some rest after enduring 1,000 years of constant battle. The current situation was an acceptable outcome for them.
Only Yang Kai, who was hiding in the shadows, secretly heaved a sigh of relief. The weak spot in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction that the Black Ink Clan found had been repaired by Wu Kuang. The Black Ink Clan no longer had a reason to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield to draw Wu Kuang’s attention, so they naturally stopped dispatching their soldiers to the battlefield.
Taking into consideration that Wu Kuang had repaired the weak spot in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and Yang Kai had slaughtered so many Innate Territory Lords recently, there was a high possibility that their actions had already alerted the enemy. Mo Na Ye was not such an easy opponent after all.
[I have to move faster!]
After communicating with Fu Guang and Wu Kuang via Divine Sense transmission, Yang Kai connected his mind to the World Tree once more and returned to the Star Boundary via the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
From there, Yang Kai did not pause for a single moment. Exiting High Heaven Territory, he detoured through the Great Territory where the Supreme Headquarters was located and snuck past a battlefield in a certain Great Territory. Then, he travelled directly in the direction of Black Territory. When he arrived at Black Territory, he passed through a secret Void Corridor and finally arrived at the Blue Sky Theatre.
No matter how fast Yang Kai was though, this journey took a whole month despite him pushing his Space Principles to the extreme. As soon as he arrived on the Black Ink Battlefield, he made some arrangements before beginning a search for traces of the hidden High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
It was a fact that many Innate Territory Lords had escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. That was not a reality that could be changed. Furthermore, the Black Ink Clan had tried to hide these Territory Lords so that they could heal peacefully.
At this point, Yang Kai could only attempt to locate and annihilate these Territory Lords before the Black Ink Clan could take preventive measures! While he would not be able to annihilate many with his strength alone, he could only do his utmost best to kill as many of them as possible.
Thanks to his past two experiences, Yang Kai had gotten better at searching for the High-Rank Black Ink Nests that were hidden in the depths of the void. His search was no longer as aimless as before.
Another month later, Mo Na Ye stood inside the Main Hall at the No-Return Pass and studied the miniature Black Ink Nest in front of him with a deep scowl. The Black Ink Nest came from Mo Yu and was something the Royal Lord had personally given to him so that he could communicate with the clansmen in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
For some reason, he had been having trouble establishing contact with the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction since about two months ago. He had not paid much attention to the issue at the beginning as it was not the first time such difficulties occurred.
There were many occasions when he had trouble transmitting or receiving information effectively. Most of the time, he couldn’t even connect to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. That was why he had not thought much about the issue and had just assumed that it was nothing more than a normal phenomenon.
However, two whole months had passed since he last received any message from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which was beginning to arouse his suspicions.
Had something gone wrong on the other side?
That was not impossible.
Those in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been very careful up until now to ensure that the Human Masters guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction did not notice anything unusual. However, there was always a risk of exposure with their clansmen sneaking out at regular intervals. The hole in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was bound to be repaired once discovered, in which case, the Territory Lords would never succeed in sneaking out again.
Unable to be certain, Mo Na Ye did not try to contact the clansmen in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction again. On the contrary, he tried to contact the last batch of Territory Lords who escaped from the Grand Restriction.
According to his instructions, the Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would form groups of 14 or 15, with one among them being in charge of carrying a High-Rank Black Ink Nest. Once they had gathered enough people, they would set off together and head towards the location Mo Na Ye designated to receive the cultivation resources from the No-Return Pass. After that, they would search for a suitable hiding spot to hatch their Black Ink Nest so that they could enter it and begin healing.
Over the past several dozen years, everything had been going smoothly. As many as 60 batches of hidden Territory Lords had now scattered across the Black Ink Battlefield. An estimation of the time indicated that the last batch of Territory Lords who escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction should have completed their numbers and set off.
Mo Na Ye focused his mind on the Black Ink Nest before him, but the strange space inside of its consciousness was empty, with not a single figure in sight. Mo Na Ye was the only person here, and as his Divine Sense surged, the space vibrated slightly.
Although the connection between Black Ink Nests was extremely strong, they could not connect with a specific Black Ink Nest directly. If Mo Na Ye wanted to contact a specific group of Territory Lords, then he could only send out a general message and wait for them to respond.
At the same time, Yang Kai stood in the void as murderous intent surged around him. The spear in his hand contained many Dao Strengths interweaving with each other. Numerous Innate Territory Lords had died at his hands, and the High-Rank Black Ink Nest where the Territory Lords were hiding had been destroyed earlier.
There were 15 Territory Lords as usual, the number not any different from the two batches he annihilated previously. This only made him increasingly certain that Mo Na Ye intended to use these Territory Lords to create Pseudo-Royal Lords. Unfortunately for Mo Na Ye, Yang Kai had eliminated three of these Nests before the plan could be implemented.
It was not an intense battle. Under the premise that Yang Kai had launched a sneak attack, these wounded Innate Territory Lords had almost no power to resist, and when the dust settled, Black Ink Strength scattered wildly across the void. There was not a single living creature around him as he calmed the surging World Force in his body, then he reached into his pocket and took out the small Black Ink Nest that he obtained previously. The Black Ink Nest was trembling slightly as if conveying some sort of message!
This Black Ink Nest had been brought out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction by the Black Ink Clan. Its first purpose was to contact the No-Return Pass, and the second was to hatch into a place where the Territory Lords could rest and treat their wounds after they received the necessary cultivation resources. Seeing as the Black Ink Nest was vibrating, the No-Return Pass must be trying to make contact.
Yang Kai was tempted to attempt communication in order to gain enemy intelligence; however, he decided to give up on the idea after he weighed the risks. What if the person trying to make contact from the No-Return Pass was Mo Na Ye himself? It would be very difficult for him to fool Mo Na Ye; after all, he had to immerse his consciousness into the Black Ink Nest to communicate through the Black Ink Nest. With Mo Na Ye’s caution, Yang Kai would not be able to hide the truth from him if they were to confront each other directly.
In the end, Yang Kai could only choose to ignore the Black Ink Nest. His choice might arouse Mo Na Ye’s suspicions, but the truth would not be exposed immediately; therefore, this was the best way to buy a little more time.
Yang Kai put the Black Ink Nest away and resumed his search for the Black Ink Nests hidden by the Black Ink Clan. Time was running out, and the days when he could effortlessly massacre Territory Lords were dwindling rapidly.
Back at the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye waited for four whole hours but did not receive a response, his expression darkening as time passed. He had the vague feeling that their movements at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been discovered.
If that was the case, then the last batch of Territory Lords who escaped the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had probably suffered at the hands of the Human Race Masters. Likewise, the Black Ink Nest in their possession had probably fallen into the hands of the Humans, which would explain why there was no response from them.
He did not believe that those Territory Lords could survive as the price they had to pay to sneak out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was too high. If the Humans prepared themselves in advance, then killing heavily wounded Territory Lords would not take much effort.
Although Mo Na Ye had anticipated the current situation, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed that the day had arrived so quickly. He had hoped that many more Territory Lords would be able to sneak out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction before they were exposed.
At that moment, Yang Kai abruptly came to mind. If the matter at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been exposed, then the entire Human Race would probably soon be aware of everything, and it would not be long before Yang Kai learned about this.
[No… He might already know about this matter. He has always been capable of travelling back and forth without any trace thanks to his mastery over the Dao of Space. Who knows whether he has recently been to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?]
Yang Kai was cunning and highly intelligent. If he learned about the matter at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, he would most likely realise that Mo Na Ye was the secret mastermind behind the scenes.
Mo Na Ye’s expression stiffened before he immediately took out the communication bead that could be used to contact Yang Kai and tentatively sent a message through it, “Brother Yang, are you there?”
Throughout his entire life, Mo Na Ye had never known how torturous waiting could be. He simply wanted to use this method to determine Yang Kai’s approximate distance. As for Yang Kai’s exact position, it was impossible to determine.
If his message could not be delivered, then it would mean that there was a vast distance between them and it would also indicate that Yang Kai was not outside the No-Return Pass. Seeing as Yang Kai had always remained nearby these past 1,000 years, it would be a sure sign that something was wrong if he was not here now.
On the other hand, if the message was successfully delivered, then everything was still alright. It meant that Yang Kai remained hidden outside the No-Return Pass, monitoring the movements here. That was the outcome that Mo Na Ye was hoping to see the most.
Therefore, Mo Na Ye was happy to see the communication bead in his palm vibrate slightly. That was an indicator that the message had been transmitted to the other party. In other words, it meant that Yang Kai was not too far from him.
However, there was no response from the other party. Mo Na Ye waited for a long time, but in the end, he could not stand the wait and sent out another message.
Approximately 12 million kilometres away from the No-Return Pass, a young man sat curled up inside a large Universe Fragment. He was trying his hardest to conceal his aura so that he did not expose himself in the slightest; furthermore, he held a small communication bead tightly in his hand. His attention was focused to the extreme.
In terms of cultivation, he was only at the peak of the Emperor Realm. He had condensed his Dao Seal and could advance to the Open Heaven Realm at any time. Not to mention, the cultivation resources used to condense his Dao Seal were of the Sixth Order. In other words, he was a candidate who could advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
At this moment, the communication bead in his hand was vibrating slightly. He was astonished for a moment, but he quickly realised that the situation described by the Dao Lord was happening. Somebody was trying to contact the Dao Lord!
The young man, known as Sun Zhao, couldn’t help recalling the incident that had taken place one month ago.
At the time, he had been cultivating in retreat inside the Void Dao Temple when he suddenly noticed something strange. By the time he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in this spot. More importantly, the appearance of the person standing before him made a wave of excitement flood his entire being.
It was none other than the Dao Lord himself! He only had time to express his admiration and respect for the Dao Lord before he received an important task! He was to conceal his aura, remain hidden at this spot, and watch over the communication bead!
The Dao Lord’s instructions were given in an incredibly grave manner. He claimed that this matter was not only very important, but also related to the survival of the Human Race. Then, he instructed Sun Zhao to remain hidden without exposing his whereabouts.
The pressure was overwhelming to Sun Zhao. He was just an Emperor Realm Master from the Void Dao Temple who had yet to advance to the Open Heaven Realm. How could he suddenly bear the heavy responsibility of performing a task related to the survival of the Human Race out of nowhere? Nevertheless, he was personally given this mission by the Dao Lord himself, so how could he dare to be careless? He immediately nodded and agreed to the task.
A month had passed since then. Now that the communication bead was vibrating lightly in his hand, he desperately thought back to the Dao Lord’s instructions.
“If nobody tries to contact me, then just do nothing. If somebody tries to contact me, ignore the message during the first and second attempts. Wait until the third time before you respond!”
“How should this disciple answer? Also, who is the person sending the messages?” he asked humbly.
“How you answer is up to your discretion. Just adapt to the circumstances. As for the person sending the messages, it’s just a nobody who is not worthy of notice.”
Sun Zhao was pensive but still nodded, “This disciple understands.”
Gathering his wandering thoughts, Sun Zhao checked the message in the communication bead. He glanced at the words ‘Brother Yang, are you there?’ and snorted lightly. [Just who does this unworthy person think he is!? How dare he call the Dao Lord ‘Brother’? He sure does not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!]
By the Dao Lord’s instructions, he ignored the message!
A short while later, another message was delivered to the communication bead, “Brother Yang, I have something to discuss with you!”
[How dare he call the Dao Lord ‘Brother’ again!? What a shameless person!] Despite insulting the other party in his heart, Sun Zhao strictly followed Yang Kai’s instructions and ignored the message. He had a vague feeling in his heart that the person sending these messages was a shameless individual. [No wonder the Dao Lord is unwilling to speak to him.]
Soon, the third message came, “Brother Yang, it’s urgent! Please respond!”
Once was fine, twice was acceptable, but thrice was the limit. This person had been harassing the Dao Lord over and over again. It was simply unbearable.
Sun Zhao was tempted to scold and reprimand the other party, and the urge nearly overwhelmed him, but he hesitated to act. Although the Dao Lord had asked him to respond accordingly, he was worried that responding rashly would discredit the Dao Lord’s reputation instead. That was not what a disciple should do.
[I must put myself in the Dao Lord’s shoes. If an unworthy person that I don’t like keeps harassing me, how would I reply…]
The perfect idea soon came to him.
Inside the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye had no idea why Yang Kai was ignoring him. Although he could be certain that Yang Kai’s communication bead was near the No-Return Pass, he could not determine whether Yang Kai himself was there. There was no saying whether Yang Kai had randomly placed the communication bead somewhere nearby to create the illusion that he was constantly monitoring the situation from the outside.
That was why Mo Na Ye had persistently sent three messages in a row just to confirm that there was indeed somebody on the other end of the communication bead. Fortunately, his hard work paid off.
After three inquiries, the communication bead in his hand finally vibrated in response. He quickly checked the message with a slight frown. There were only two sentences in the communication bead; moreover, the message was simple and clear. It was truly in line with Yang Kai’s straightforward style, “In retreat. Do not disturb!”
[I can’t believe he is cultivating in retreat outside of the No-Return Pass! Does he have no respect for the Black Ink Clan at all!?]
Although the response annoyed Mo Na Ye, he was satisfied to confirm that Yang Kai remained outside the No-Return Pass and not too far away either. He had been worried that Yang Kai might have ventured deep into the Black Ink Battlefield to investigate his secret plans. If that were the case, then the heavily wounded Territory Lords would not be able to defend themselves from this killing star.
Now that most of his worries had been laid to rest, Mo Na Ye couldn’t help lamenting that the secret at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been exposed. Nevertheless, he had to develop countermeasures to protect the Territory Lords in advance; after all, there was an elite Human Race Army and the Divine Dragon, Fu Guan, stationed outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Not to mention, even if Yang Kai was ignorant about the situation now, it would only be a matter of time before he found out. Once Yang Kai learned about these plans the various arrangements that Mo Na Ye prepared outside would no longer be sufficient.
[I need to figure out a way to lure Yang Kai away so that the Territory Lords living outside can sneak over to the No-Return Pass.]
Mo Na Ye had not allowed the Territory Lords into the No-Return Pass for fear that Yang Kai would discover their presence, which would in turn affect the situation at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Now that the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction plot was exposed, he had to figure out a solution to protect the Territory Lords who had already snuck out. Mo Na Ye had to settle this matter as soon as possible. It could not be delayed any further.
Despite pondering deeply, he could not come up with a good solution. The greatest issue was that the Black Ink Clan could not grasp Yang Kai’s movements at all. It was impossible for Yang Kai to constantly remain outside the No-Return Pass throughout the past 1,000 years; however, the Black Ink Clan remained clueless concerning his movements. They did not know when he would leave or when he would return.
[There might be a chance after each delivery of resources…] After all, there was no doubt that Yang Kai demanded the cultivation resources from the Black Ink Clan for the sake of the Human Race.
While mulling over these matters, Mo Na Ye suddenly froze up. He vaguely sensed that he had overlooked an important point. Standing stiff in place, he urged the wheels in his head to spin faster. It did not take long before sweat beaded his forehead! He finally realised what he had overlooked previously! He had been considering matters from a positive perspective, but he had forgotten that not everything would go as he wished!
It was highly likely that what happened at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been exposed and the last batch of Territory Lords to escape were dead. That was why he lost communication with the clansmen inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and why he could not contact the last batch of Territory Lords either.
All his considerations earlier had been based on the assumption that Yang Kai remained ignorant about the matters at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, [But, what if Yang Kai knew all along…]
It was impossible to confirm that Yang Kai was in the vicinity with just the communication bead and the simple message. Yang Kai could have asked somebody else to disguise themselves as him and respond to the messages on his behalf; after all, the messages in the communication bead did not contain any trace of his aura. There were no means to prove a person’s identity through these messages.
The sweat beading on Mo Na Ye’s forehead increased significantly. At this rate, things could be heading in the worst possible direction. Therefore, he did not dare to hesitate. Taking out the small Black Ink Nest again, he immersed his consciousness into the Black Ink Nest Space and shook it far more violently than before! He had to contact the sleeping Territory Lords and confirm their safety!
The main reason Mo Na Ye had not taken action previously was so that he did not interfere with the healing process of the Territory Lords; however, interrupting their healing was nothing compared to the dangers of the current situation.
The Black Ink Nest Space continued to vibrate, sending urgent signals to the outside world. Consequently, the Territory Lords who were sleeping and healing inside the incompletely hatched High-Rank Black Ink Nests across the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield were startled awake.
It did not take long before figures began to appear in the Black Ink Nest Space, each one representing one of the High-Rank Black Ink Nests. Although these Territory Lords who had been disturbed from their healing process were not in a good mood, they did not dare to express their dissatisfaction in front of a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye. Hence, they simply stood there respectfully and waited quietly.
Mo Na Ye kept counting the number of consciousnesses who arrived until no other figures appeared. In the end, though, there were four fewer presences than there should have been!
Mo Na Ye’s complexion went pale as he realized that no matter how cautious he had been, he was still one step behind the enemy. The four missing figures in the Black Ink Nest Space meant that four High-Rank Black Ink Nests had been destroyed! Needless to say, the Territory Lords treating their wounds inside those High-Rank Black Ink Nests were bound to have suffered tragic fates.
That was nearly 60 Innate Territory Lords! A massive loss!
Calculating the position and distance between the four High-Rank Black Ink Nests, Mo Na Ye immediately concluded that Yang Kai was the assailant as only he could cross the space between those four High-Rank Black Ink Nests in such a short time or destroy the Black Ink Nests and slaughter those Territory Lords with such efficiency!
[The message transmitted to the communication bead earlier was definitely not sent by Yang Kai himself! That bastard tricked me! He considered everything and even took countermeasures based on how I would react! Hateful!]
“Sir, did something happen?” One of the Innate Territory Lords raised the question after noticing the strange expression on Mo Na Ye’s face.
Mo Na Ye quickly composed himself and replied, “You don’t need to hide anymore. Head to the No-Return Pass as quickly as possible. We will make arrangements to receive you. If you meet a Human Master along the way… Do not fight him. He is very strong and possesses numerous dangerous methods. He is not somebody you can defeat.”
The expressions of the Territory Lords stiffened in shock at those words. Just what kind of Human Race Master could frighten a Pseudo-Royal Lord so badly?
Another Innate Territory Lord thus asked, “Sir, what should we do if we encounter this person?”
Mo Na Ye answered decisively, “Scatter and flee so that as many of you can escape as possible.”
“What about the Black Ink Nests?” Yet another Territory Lord inquired.
If they were going to escape, then it was only natural for them to abandon the Black Ink Nests. Unfortunately, High-Rank Black Ink Nests were extremely important and valuable to the Black Ink Clan. They were also the highest quality Black Ink Nests produced directly in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Every High-Rank Black Ink Nest contained a trace of the Supreme One’s Source Strength. Even Mo Na Ye could not bring himself to abandon them so easily.
After a moment of deep contemplation, Mo Na Ye made his decision, “Bring the Black Ink Nests with you, but if the situation turns disadvantageous, abandon them immediately! Now go!”
Mo Na Ye gave a wave of his hand, and the Territory Lords departed. It did not take long before numerous Territory Lords flew out from the High-Rank Black Ink Nests scattered across the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield. With a surge of Black Ink Strength, they retrieved the Black Ink Nests before they began rushing towards the No-Return Pass from all directions.
Inside the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye personally took action and headed out to meet the Territory Lords. Many powerful Innate Territory Lords also formed Four Symbols and Five Elements Formations as they began spreading out.
Almost all of the Territory Lords in the No-Return Pass were dispatched, leaving only Royal Lord Mo Yu and Pseudo-Royal Lord Meng Que, with a dozen or so Territory Lords in charge of arranging and activating the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array at any moment just in case Yang Kai decided to attack.
Inside a certain Universe Fragment, the hidden Sun Zhao could not help trembling in fear as he detected many overwhelming auras approaching from afar and then speeding into the distance quickly. Instinctively, he knew that the movements of these Masters were related to the Dao Lord. Although he wanted to send a message to warn the Dao Lord, he had neither the power nor the means to take such action. The only thing he could do was pray for the Dao Lord’s safety in secret.
Deep in the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai stood in the middle of some ruins. He had just discovered yet another High-Rank Black Ink Nest and annihilated all the Territory Lords hidden within.
This was the second High-Rank Black Ink Nest that he destroyed since he returned from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Combined with the previous two Black Ink Nests, a total of four had been destroyed by him. He had slaughtered nearly 60 Innate Territory Lords by this point.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai did not show the slightest hint of joy. His achievements only revealed just how many of the Black Ink Clan’s hidden forces were scattered around the Black Ink Battlefield. He had to find as many hidden Territory Lords and Black Ink Nests as he could before the No-Return Pass realised what was happening and took countermeasures.
Taking out the small Black Ink Nest that he obtained outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Yang Kai frowned slightly. The small Black Ink Nest had started to vibrate once more when he was killing the Territory Lords earlier; furthermore, the vibrations were much stronger than previously.
Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering what the Black Ink Clan was trying to accomplish. The Black Ink Nest had fallen silent by now, but he did not dare to pour his Divine Sense into it to investigate, lest he expose himself.
Turning to look in the direction of the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai wondered whether that brat called Sun Zhao was safe. The urgency of the situation and the lack of suitable helpers left Yang Kai with no other options at the time. He was forced to randomly choose a disciple from the Void Dao Temple to hide outside the No-Return Pass and hold the communication bead on his behalf. In this way, he could create the illusion that he was still there to confuse Mo Na Ye and buy himself some more time.
Putting the miniature Black Ink Nest away, Yang Kai embarked on his bloody journey to search for Black Ink Nests once more. Time was running out, so he continuously activated Space Principles, causing his figure to flicker across the void erratically. Thanks to his previous experiences, Yang Kai had gained some understanding regarding where Mo Na Ye had positioned these High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Several days later, Yang Kai was passing by a dead Universe World when he suddenly turned around and landed at a certain spot, looking around with a slight frown as soon as he touched the ground. There were strong traces of the Black Ink Strength remaining in this area, which was rather abnormal. Moreover, traces were indicating that something had once been attached to the ground. Judging by the size, the object was not small.
[A Black Ink Nest!] It would seem that there used to be a High-Rank Black Ink Nest here; however, the Black Ink Clan had used various means to remove it. That was why there were hints of the Black Ink Strength lingering in the area and traces of something being attached here.
Recalling how the small Black Ink Nest he obtained previously had vibrated strongly, Yang Kai couldn’t help cursing. [Mo Na Ye, that bastard! Does he have a dog’s nose? How does he have such a keen sense of smell!? I’ve only destroyed four Black Ink Nests so far! How did he notice so quickly?]
There was no way the Black Ink Nest positioned here would be removed for no reason, not unless there was an order from the higher-ups of the Black Ink Clan. Seeing as Mo Na Ye was currently in charge of all the Black Ink Clan’s affairs, the order could only have come from him.
It would seem that Yang Kai’s precautions were not enough to fool Mo Na Ye. There was no room for carelessness in a battle of wits against an enemy like Mo Na Ye. If even the slightest flaw existed, the other party would eventually deduce the truth from the various insignificant clues. Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not expect this moment to arrive so soon even though he had mentally prepared himself for this situation when Wu Kuang repaired the flaw in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
After a brief pause, Yang Kai soared into the sky and rushed in the direction of the No-Return Pass.
The Territory Lords who escaped out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction previously had hidden themselves outside the No-Return Pass under Mo Na Ye’s orders. The reason for this was simple; Mo Na Ye did not wish for their presence to be exposed because he planned on catching the Human Race by surprise at a critical moment in the war. Now that these Territory Lords’ presence had been exposed though, it was only natural for Mo Na Ye to prioritise their safety. From his point of view, the best solution to the current situation was for them to head towards the No-Return Pass immediately.
Yang Kai knew that he could not intercept all of the Territory Lords. That was an unrealistic notion. Be that as it may, he could put his best effort into hunting down as many of them as possible as they gathered towards the No-Return Pass. In doing so, he could relieve some of the pressure that the Human Race would face in the future.
[I still have a chance…]
Not only were the Territory Lords heavily wounded, but they were also carrying the half-hatched High-Rank Black Ink Nests with them. In terms of speed, it was impossible for them to compete with Yang Kai who was proficient in the Dao of Space.
Furthermore, Mo Na Ye had placed them far away from the No-Return Pass to prevent these Territory Lords and Black Ink Nests from being discovered by Yang Kai. These positions were generally located beyond the ruins of previous Royal Cities scattered throughout various Theatres; hence, the distance between these positions and the No-Return Pass was extremely vast.
When Yang Kai travelled from Great Evolution Pass to the No-Return Pass under Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s orders, it took him more than a year without using Space Secret Techniques. Comparatively, the ruins of previous Royal Cities were located far beyond each Great Pass, which would add several more months of travel to a journey.
Even if these Territory Lords could move faster than the Yang Kai of the past, they were destined to spend at least half a year to arrive at the No-Return Pass. That would allow Yang Kai to ambush them.
Half a day later, Yang Kai spotted a cloud of dense Black Ink Strength in the distance. With time being of the essence, Yang Kai did not bother to conceal his arrival. In any case, the murderous intent wrapped around him during the chase could not be hidden.
At the same time that Yang Kai sensed this group of Territory Lords, the Territory Lords also discovered his presence. Their Divine Senses surged as they quickly communicated among themselves.
“Is that an Eighth-Order Human?”
“Yes, it’s an Eighth-Order Human Master!”
“Split up and flee!”
“Why are we fleeing? It’s just an Eighth-Order Human!”
“But, Sir Mo Na Ye ordered us to split up and flee if we encountered a Human Race Master!”
“Sir Mo Na Ye was probably referring to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. This guy is just an Eighth-Order…”
“He’s already here! How is he so fast?!”
…..
The endlessly surging Divine Senses froze at that moment as a Full Moon rose alongside a Great Sun into the void. At the same time, Time and Space became chaotic in the local area. The Territory Lords felt their perceptions becoming completely disrupted as a result. In the next moment, the wounded Territory Lords were horrified to discover that they could neither speak nor move. Not only did the space around them become extremely warped, but they couldn’t even perceive the passage of time properly…
Naturally, they were terrified. It was only at this moment that they understood the warning Mo Na Ye gave them. If they encountered a Human Race Master, they absolutely should not try to fight. On the contrary, they should immediately split up and escape so that as many of them could flee as possible. This person’s methods were strange indeed, far beyond their ability to comprehend.
The Territory Lord who previously looked down on the approaching Human for only being in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm was filled with a deep sense of regret. He initially thought that killing an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master when there were so many Innate Territory Lords on their side would be effortless even if they were wounded; however, it only took a single breath for him to become the fish on the chopping block instead.
He was secretly resentful that Mo Na Ye had not given them a more detailed explanation. As a result, he had mistakenly assumed that Mo Na Ye was warning them that a Ninth-Order Master was prowling around and thus stupidly underestimated the Eighth-Order Human before him.
The power of the Sun and Moon Divine Seal exploded as both Time and Space in the vast void were stretched and distorted wildly. It felt like there was an invisible millstone of Space-Time Strength grinding everything to dust.